The upcoming film Freedom, starring Sasikumar and Lijomol Jose, is based on the personal, real-life story of its own art director, C. Udhayakumar, who is a refugee from Sri Lanka. The revelation was made during a recent gathering to discuss the film ahead of its July 10 release.
“This is a story that happened in my life. I came from Sri Lanka, this is a story that happened in my real life,” Udhayakumar stated, confirming the film’s deeply personal origins. He added, “A true story never fails. This will definitely appeal to the people.”
This context adds significant weight to the role played by Lijomol, who confirmed she portrays a Sri Lankan woman in the film. “Normal Tamil itself is difficult for me, but in this, I have acted speaking Sri Lankan Tamil,” she said, noting the challenges of the dialect. She also shared a moment of on-set support, recalling, “When I got chickenpox during the shoot, it was Sasikumar sir who came and spoke supportively and sent me to the hospital.”
The power of the narrative was also highlighted by director R.K. Selvamani, who revealed his own connection to the project. “When Sathyasiva told this story, I wanted to direct this film myself, it is such a good story,” he said. Selvamani also commented on the challenges of telling such stories in the current climate, stating, “In India, it is difficult to take a true incident, the truth. If you take the truth, it will hurt the opposition party and the ruling party.”
Freedom is directed by Sathyasiva, who previously collaborated with Sasikumar on the film Kazhugu. The film’s music is composed by Ghibran. Producer Pandian Parasuraman, a former film manager, noted that the project was born out of his trust in the director and the cast.
The film is described as being about a community’s struggle for their freedom.