Once More sets August 28 release for Arjun Das romance

Once More has a date. The Arjun Das and Aditi Shankar romance opens in theatres worldwide on August 28, and the release-date poster makes the film’s register unmistakable: the two of them cross-legged on a car bonnet with a pizza box between them, cola cans mid-toast, kites filling a washed-blue sky. For an actor whose baritone has mostly been deployed to menace people, this is about as far against type as Arjun Das has ever gone.

The film is debutant Vignesh Srikanth’s, who writes and directs, and Million Dollar Studios produces with Yuvaraj Ganesan backing it. Aditi Shankar, coming off Viruman and Maamannan, plays the female lead, with model Sona Olickal in a key role.

The name that raises the ceiling here is Hesham Abdul Wahab. The composer behind Hridayam, Kushi and Hi Nanna makes his Tamil debut with Once More, and the two singles already out, Indira and Vaa Kannamma, have landed well alongside the title teaser. His soundtracks have a habit of outliving the films they arrive with, which for a soft-focus romance is half the marketing done.

Aravind Viswanathan handles cinematography, Raj Kamal the production design and Nava Rajkumar the costumes. August 28 puts Once More a few weeks clear of the big festival-window releases, room a small romance needs, and exactly the kind of slot where word of mouth decides everything.