Raaja sir didn’t want to spoil Therukoothu by making it cinematic: Pari Elavazhagan

The lives of Therukoothu artistes will be the premise of an upcoming drama titled Jama. Pari Elavazhagan, who will be playing the protagonist and also directing the film, informs us that its story is about those who wear lady getups in Therukoothu. “They face so many problems when it comes to relationships, family and society, merely because they have to wear saris and grow long hair,” he says.
Touching upon the basic plot of the film, he continues, “A son wants to fulfil something that his father wanted, but will he be able to do that given his position? That’s the premise of the film.”
The filmmaker also addresses the responsibility that he feels in accurately presenting an art form like Therukoothu, saying, “The people in the South know everything about this art form.Also, I come from a Koothu background. So, I want to properly present something I have seen since childhood, as my grandfather and father were all Therukoothu artistes.”
Sharing that he is a big fan of Bhagyaraj and that the latter’s influence will be seen in Jama, the director shares, “The way he writes his screenplay always amazes me because he writes beautifully by highlighting the small details.”
Ammu Abhirami will also feature in the film. Defining her character as a strong one, Pari Elavazhagan says, “Her character makes her own decisions. She wants to study hard and be in a respectable position. She is someone who can stand strong against society.”
Apart from Jama, Pari will also be acting in Bottle Radha. On his character in that film, he says, “It's very different from what I’ve done in Jama. I am playing Guru Somasundaram’s friend, who is a drunkard. I had to lose 16kg for that role.”
‘Raaja sir’s music will be the biggest strength of this film’
Pari believes that the biggest strength of his film would be Ilaiyaraaja’s music. “I don’t think we will get a better artiste than Raaja sir for this film. He didn’t want to spoil the Therukoothu art form by making it cinematic. He wanted to be completely authentic to the art form and invited actual Therukoothu artistes to record. In film music, instruments will be played and singers will sing separately. But Therukoothu artistes can never perform in that way. He understood that and recorded the instruments and vocals together in a hall. He didn’t suggest corrections and was fully accepting of their style,” he shares.