Jegan Ryan studied sound engineering, won a state award for it in 2004, and then spent the next two decades trying to make a film. Room Boy, a suspense thriller set in a hill station hotel, is what that wait produced. The music and trailer launched this week with backing from some of Tamil cinema’s most senior figures.
“I’ve been living with this dream for nearly 25 years,” Ryan said, visibly moved. He dedicated the event to his late father N.V. Sundaram. “He always believed his son would become a director someday. This day belongs to him.”
Ryan described the path with typical industry candour. Years of knocking on doors led him to a producer whom he offered his own land as collateral. The producer declined the collateral but offered something else: cast my son, and I’ll back the film. That compromise became the path forward.
Room Boy is produced by Suriyakala Chandramoorthi under ACM Cinemas, with her son C. Nikhil making his acting debut in the lead. The film is set in a hotel in Yelagiri, where Nikhil’s character works as a room boy. When the hotel manager dies under mysterious circumstances and a juvenile reform school inspector vanishes, the room boy and his friends get drawn into something they can’t walk away from. Ryan describes it as a family-oriented suspense thriller. Vijay Sethupathi released the film’s first look, giving it an early visibility boost.
The launch doubled as a platform for the Tamil Film Producers’ Council to air its frustrations. Secretary Five Star Kathiresan was characteristically blunt. “Only Superstar Rajini helps producers,” he said. “In Andhra, actors rally around producers when films fail. Here, 70% of the budget goes to the hero’s salary, and when the film tanks, nobody comes back.” He urged all producers to register with the council and said the body would stand behind them.
Council president GKM Tamil Kumaran revealed that a morning meeting of distributors, exhibitors, and the council had produced several decisions aimed at reforming the industry. “Small films need proper theatre priority,” he said. “We’ve drawn up guidelines for that. I believe Tamil cinema will see real changes in the next few years.” He added that new measures were being introduced to create more opportunities for young directors and first-time producers.
Veteran producer Kalaipuli Thanu, who attended the launch, had practical praise. “I asked them how much they’d spent. They said crores. I told them the film better justify it,” he said. “From the trailer and songs, it does. Nikhil has done well, and the director has delivered.”
The cast includes Harsha, Iman Annachi, Birla Bose, Kaathu Karuppu, Sadhana, and Kavitha Vijayan, with Mumbai model Nithi Maroli in a dance number. Room Boy releases in theaters in April.