Modha Rathri team thanks audiences at its success meet

Modha Rathri’s success meet brought its cast and crew together to thank audiences, but the most heartfelt recollections went back well before its August 21 release. For director Raja Karuppasamy and lead actor Rishikanth, the family comedy had been a shared dream for six years. Now, with the team celebrating its theatrical reception, both spoke about what it meant to finally see families watching it together.

“We wanted to make a film that people could come to with their families, laugh and enjoy. That has happened today,” Rishikanth said. Thanking the media and audiences for treating him like a boy from their own homes, he credited Mythri Movie Makers with trusting him and Raja through a project they had carried for years. The film stars Anishma Anilkumar opposite him.

That partnership had not always been an easy sell. Raja recalled being repeatedly told to change his leading man when he took the story around six years ago. He stayed with Rishikanth, and used the occasion to celebrate both his ability and his sense of social responsibility. The director also praised Anishma’s talent and thanked cinematographer Dinesh Karuppusamy, his family, friends and the unit for their support. The long road to the screen had already figured in the team’s recollections at the Modha Rathri trailer launch; this time, they could talk about the audience response too.

Producer Naveen Yerneni said he had liked the story as soon as Raja narrated it. Describing the film’s shows as houseful, he called it Mythri’s third Tamil success after Good Bad Ugly and Dude, and said the banner was considering taking it to other languages. He congratulated the director, Rishikanth and the team, and also thanked audiences for supporting Irumudi Kattu.

For several members of the ensemble, the film’s reception meant being noticed after years of work. Abdool Lee spoke about the emotion of finally seeing his own face on a film poster, and said Modha Rathri had taken its actors and technicians a step forward. Karthikeyan DK described the success as the first step in a much longer journey, stressing how much the film mattered to everyone who had worked on it. Deepika said it had given the cast an identity with audiences.

Sumithra Devi thanked Mythri for backing a story with so many fresh faces, while Varshini Karmegham shared her happiness at the response and thanked Raja, Rishikanth and the rest of the team. Dileep’s favourite sign of the film connecting was a simple one: seeing families leave theatres happy, something he said he had not witnessed in a long time.

Iniya Ram said viewers had told her the film reminded them of a Bhagyaraj comedy. She praised Rishikanth and the technicians, and predicted that Raja would be among the leading directors within five years. Chetan was equally generous about his younger colleagues. He recalled enjoying every day of the shoot, compared Rishikanth’s screen presence to a young Amitabh Bachchan, and urged Mythri to keep opening doors for new talent.

The technicians had their own reasons to savour the occasion. Cinematographer Surendran Paranjothi spoke of the satisfaction of having worked on a good film. Editor Ashok Arjunan said receiving appreciation for his first film was especially heartening, and hoped he had justified the faith placed in him. Publicity designer Viyaki recalled feeling a sense of ownership from the moment Raja narrated the story, crediting the team’s positive spirit for the result.

Composer Bharath Sankar called Modha Rathri an important milestone in his musical journey. “There is no small film or big film. You can perhaps divide them into good films and average films,” he said. He remembered Raja often saying that he wanted to be the director of a film that would run well in theatres, and congratulated him on reaching that goal.

Bagavathi Perumal brought the conversation back to the people a modestly budgeted film can sustain. For every hundred who succeed in cinema, he said, lakhs disappear without recognition. He thanked Mythri for choosing a story that had brought light into several lives, and spoke about the responsibility that comes with making a small film. Raja’s own appeal to the audience was direct: “Small films always need your support. That alone will take Tamil cinema to its next stage.”