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A few weeks back, a post from a parody account of director Gautham Vasudev Menon went viral. It was a post that said the long-awaited Dhruva Natchathiram was hitting the screens this Pongal. Considering how Ajith Kumar’s Vidaamuyarchi had dropped off the Pongal race, and another long-awaited film, Madha Gaja Raja, was finally seeing the light of day, many assumed it was a post from an official account. Many were disappointed to note that it wasn’t an official announcement. But for those few hours, Dhruva Natchathiram was trending all over, and everyone were celebrating the release of a film that continues to make news even after years of start-stop release plans. “Honestly, this buzz is what keeps me going. Whenever you talk about the film, be it a teaser or a trailer or an announcement date, there is a buzz, right? I am surviving because of that, otherwise it would have been impossible to sail past the pressures surrounding the film,” said the real Gautham Vasudev Menon, in an interview with YouTuber Madan Gowri.
Talking about how this has been a lonely battle, Gautham said, “When Dhruva Natchathiram faced release issues, hardly anyone from the industry even called to enquire what happened. Nobody bothered. It is not an industry of bonhomie. Even when a film succeeds, people are just intrigued, and not happy.” Understanding that these statements might be seen as being extremely cynical of the Tamil film industry, Gautham said, “But that’s true. Nobody cares. In fact, Thanu (producer Kalaipuli S Thanu) sir is the only person who constantly enquires about the film. Then, there is Lingusamy (director), who also tried to do what he can. But again, they have their own issues, and I understand.”
Clarifying that the issues plaguing Dhruva Natchathiram isn’t something that is novel or completely unfathomable, Gautham said, “It’s not rocket science. Many films have gone through these issues. Some are saying that it is under scrutiny because I produced the film. But I am not the producer, I just took over the film to release it. When I showed it to a few studios, and they check up with their sources, they have been told that the film has a lot of issues, and it just gets rescheduled. But, whenever the release gets pushed, nobody really cared enough to talk to me about it. Not that I expect them to either, but that’s the truth of things.” However, Gautham is still confident about the product in his hand. “It will come out… It will make a difference.”
Dhruva Natchathiram is headlined by Vikram, and stars an impressive ensemble, including actors like Simran, Ritu Varma, Aishwarya Rajesh, Parthiban, and Divyadharshini.
Meanwhile, Gautham is currently awaiting the release of his debut Malayalam film, Dominic and the Ladies Purse, which features Mammootty in the titular role, and is backed by the actor himself.
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