Vetri's Black Gold traces the trade in human hair

A. Venkatesh once read a newspaper report about human hair and thought someone ought to make a film out of it. A few days later, writer-director Dheeran Arunkumar narrated Black Gold to him. Venkatesh recognised the very news story that had caught his eye.

Vetri explained the title when the team spoke in Chennai on November 2. “When people hear black gold, they might think of crude oil or pepper. What we mean in this film is human hair,” he said. The thriller, which the team says draws on real events, follows a young man from a middle-class family who gets caught up in the underground hair trade. What drew Vetri to the script was the story Dheeran had found within it about a father and son. The film opens in theatres on November 13.

Abirami Venkatachalam remembered Dheeran narrating the script “like a science teacher explaining a lesson.” She had lost roles at the last minute on other films and kept asking him whether this one was hers. It meant something to learn that Dheeran and producer M. Moorthy had already agreed on her for the police officer. Priyalaya plays the female lead opposite Vetri. Dheeran said she was unwell and could not join the team that afternoon.

Nearly five years had passed since Dheeran last met the press in the same room for his debut, Theerpugal Virkapadum. A Telugu project had stalled, and finding a producer for Black Gold took time. Moorthy, who originally came to cinema to act, remembered taking the story home. He wondered whether audiences would be interested in the subject. His wife and daughter saw the appeal immediately, he said, because it concerned something happening around them. He took the film on at MM Studios. Even when a shoot finished at five in the morning, Dheeran recalled, Moorthy wanted to know how the scenes had turned out.

For Aroul D Shankar, work on his character Naina Raja began with the vermilion on his forehead and the jewellery he would wear. He and makeup artist Uma Shanker tried out the look together. The more demanding preparation was for a fight with a coiled weapon. Dheeran put the rehearsal with stunt director Metro Mahesh at eight or nine days for about 90 seconds on screen.

Japan Kumar, accustomed to small comedy parts, took on a serious role without a single line of dialogue. Sabita Roi plays Malli, a part she hopes audiences will remember her by. Venkatesh singled out Vetri for the restraint he brought to their scene together, recalling how much his co-star could convey with the smallest reaction. Livingston, Thulasi and Ramar also feature in the cast.

Composer Gavaskar Avinash said Dheeran called him after hearing his work on The Smile Man. He singled out Saindhavi for singing in a higher register than usual. Lyricist Mohan Rajan wrote two songs, and for singer Ram the film fulfilled a 16-year ambition. Ram first met Dheeran four years ago when he performed at the Edison Awards.

Black Gold is cinematographer Santhosh Kumar Veerasamy’s first feature, and editor Dinesh Kumar described a freedom that extended to all three departments. Dheeran let him cut each scene his own way first. Only then would the two sit down to discuss what needed changing.

The team finished shooting in and around Chennai in February, and the official trailer is out ahead of the November 13 release. Dheeran said he was especially keen for opening day to go well for Moorthy. “If he succeeds, he can give many more directors like me a chance.”