The trailer of Enna Vilai, written and directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Sajeev Pazhoor, was unveiled at a function in Chennai. Produced by Jithesh Viswambharan and Anugopal Venugopalan under the banner of Kalamaya Cineverse, the film stars Karunas, Nimisha Sajayan and several others and is set to hit theatres on September 17.
The film, which was extensively shot in and around Rameswaram, has already made its mark at international film festivals, winning awards at 13 festival events. The makers said they were looking forward to bringing the film to Indian audiences after receiving recognition at several overseas screenings.
Producer Jithesh Viswambharan said the people of Rameswaram had worked extremely hard along with the film’s crew and expressed confidence that audiences would support their efforts. Several members of the cast, including Nirosha, Sasha, Kavi, Pandi, Pradeep, Darshan and Constable Sundaram, thanked the director and producers for giving them an opportunity in the film and urged audiences to watch it in theatres.
Sasha, who plays Manimekalai, the sister of the protagonist, said it had been her dream to act in a rural-based story and that Enna Vilai helped fulfil that ambition. Darshan revealed that he plays a writer in the film and said its recognition at various award festivals had given the team confidence. Kavi also said the team had been eagerly waiting to celebrate the film’s release with audiences in India.
Director Sajeev Pazhoor said he was particularly drawn to Tamil and wanted to tell a story in the language. Recalling films such as Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom, Soodhu Kavvum and Pannaiyarum Padminiyum, he said compelling films could emerge from seemingly small ideas and asked audiences to watch Enna Vilai before forming their opinion.
Karunas, who plays a prominent role, spoke emotionally about his association with Rameswaram, where he began his film journey in 2001 with director Bala’s Nandha. He said he had long wanted to work with Malayalam writers, directors and technicians because of his admiration for Malayalam cinema, and that Enna Vilai had fulfilled that 20-year-old ambition.
Karunas said the film is about ordinary people and that the director had deliberately chosen performers who could bring a natural quality to their characters. He also said the producers had invested around Rs 7 crore in the project despite the film not being driven by commercial considerations, reflecting their faith in the story.
According to Karunas, Sajeev has raised a question in the film that has not previously been explored in Indian cinema. He praised Nimisha Sajayan’s performance as an advocate and said the director had carefully selected actors suited to each character. Karunas also described Enna Vilai as one of the films closest to his heart after Nandha.
The actor added that his performance in the film had received special appreciation from his family and co-star Nimisha Sajayan. He expressed confidence that audiences would connect with both the film and his character.
The makers also announced that a leading OTT platform, including Netflix, had acquired the film even before its theatrical release. However, the team said the theatrical experience remained important and appealed to audiences to support the film when it opens on September 17.