Siddhi Idnani: opening beside Jailer 2 is an honour for Drones

Siddhi Idnani knew the question everyone had in mind. Drones, the fantasy comedy she leads, opens on October 16, a day after Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2. Why would a small film release alongside one of the biggest films of the year? “Honestly, it is a pride and an honour for us that our film releases with Thalaivar’s,” she said. “Even if our film is a small dot in front of his, that itself is a big thing for us. Whenever I talk proudly about Tamil cinema, the first person who comes to my mind is Thalaivar Rajinikanth.” The whole Drones team, she added, was waiting to watch Jailer 2 and celebrate its success.

Written and directed by R Raghav Mirdath, who made Bun Butter Jam, Drones asks what would happen if the strange things that only happen in dreams started happening in real life. Siddhi Idnani, Anjali Nair, Devadarshini, Dravid Selvam, Kuraishi, Cinemawala Sathish, Sasi Selvaraj and RJ Deepak star, and the cast of characters runs from a mad scientist and a detective to an angel and a witch. The Drones trailer mixed horror, fantasy and science fiction with a lot of comedy.

Drones is producer GM Morgan’s first film, and he made up his mind fast. He met Raghav at a friend’s house, and within ten minutes of talking, they had decided to make a film together. “They told me a lot of stories, but I said I wanted a comedy,” he said. “This is a film everyone can watch. From children to adults, I believe everyone will like it.”

Siddhi was keen to give him his due. “Our producer has trusted people like us, who have worked in only one to four films, and made such a big investment,” she said. “This Navaratri, the only thing I prayed to God for is that he gets his money back and makes a profit.” Big-star films winning is normal, she said, but the press and media have a big part to play in encouraging producers like Morgan to keep investing their hard-earned money in new films. She called Raghav a very talented director, noted that he is also writing for a Suriya film, and said working with Anjali had been a long-standing wish. “Our friendship is an example that two actresses can be good friends.”

Anjali Nair pointed to what sits under the fun. “Drones is a fantasy, horror and survival film, with lots of strange happenings and plenty of entertainment for the whole family,” she said. “But beyond the entertainment, it also touches on some serious, controversial subjects like colour politics, racism and love, and we have tried to bring them to audiences in an entertaining way.” The cast all knew each other already, she said, but this was the first time they had worked together. “We are a small team, but a very strong one.” Small films like this reach more people through reviews and word of mouth, she said, and she wanted more films that break the usual pattern in Tamil.

Dravid Selvam, who came to Drones after finishing Dude, admitted he was nervous on stage, then told the story of how he signed on. When he was told the film had two heroines, he asked why they were calling him. “I’m already doing this kind of thing on Parithabangal,” he told them. Their reply: “How long will you keep doing only that? It would be good if you did roles like this too.” He said it took courage for a producer to combine a political point with entertainment in a small film, and that films like this are how Tamil cinema gets noticed in other languages. He had a word for every co-star. Kuraishi would land several comic counters in the space of ten steps. RJ Deepak was such a prankster on set that they sometimes had to ask him to sit quietly. “Anjali Nair is a brilliant actress. When she cries on screen, she makes you cry too.” Siddhi, who has worked with Simbu, Arun Vijay and Aadhi, made them nervous at first, but she had no airs about her and made friends with everyone from day one. Dravid credited Cinemawala Sathish for recommending him for the role, and thanked Parithabangal’s Gopi and Sudhakar. “Without Parithabangal, I could not have reached this place.”

For Cinemawala Sathish, the stage was an emotional one. He came to cinema to act, he said, but when that did not happen, he took the technical route instead, and for years sat among the press at events like this one. He thanked Morgan and Raghav for giving him the chance to act again. His first film as an actor was Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom, and he said Drones has the same kind of unusual, unconventional approach. “You may ask whether all this is possible. But we have worked hard to bring that imagination to the screen properly.”

RJ Deepak had also dreamt of standing on that stage as an actor, long before he started out on radio. He was thrilled that the recognition he earned on air had brought him a role that runs through the whole film, rather than a quick appearance. Anjali, he said, is so emotional an actor that she would cry through a scene and then get even more emotional watching it back on the monitor.

Jayanth Sethu Madhavan is the cinematographer, Hari SR composed the music, Sathish Surya edited and R Kishore is the art director. Drones opens in theatres on October 16.