At a press meet for their upcoming Tamil film, the veteran director-turned-actor recalled asking his co-star for a kiss on set, and she still says no with a laugh.
Gangai Amaran has spent decades being three or four things at once in Tamil cinema, lyricist, composer, director, occasional actor, and he's added a new layer to that reputation ahead of Lenin Pandian's release. At a press meet for the film, he and co-star Roja let slip a bit of on-set flirting that's now doing the rounds.
According to Filmibeat Tamil, the two met reporters together to talk up the film, and the conversation drifted from promotion into anecdote fairly quickly. Gangai Amaran, who's playing the lead in Lenin Pandian, said Roja has a line she repeats to him often on set: "Neenga romba vazhuringa", loosely, you're too flirty. His defence was simple. How is a man supposed to just sit quietly with Roja next to him?
Roja picked up the story from there. Her version has him asking for more than conversation, and her offering nothing, until he finally says what he actually wants: a kiss. Her answer, every time, is the same. At this age, do you really need all this? The two of them say it always ends in laughter. Age, Roja added, hasn't done much to the man's romantic instincts.
There's a reason the banter lands the way it does. Gangai Amaran is Ilaiyaraaja's brother and has written some of the more literary hit lyrics in Tamil film history, though industry chatter has tended to rate him lower as a lyricist than as a director or composer. His directorial high point remains Karagattakaran, a film that leaned on echoes of Thillana Mohanambal but still turned into a runaway hit on the strength of his direction, Goundamani-Senthil's comedy and Ilaiyaraaja's score.
Acting has mostly been a side interest for him, cameo appearances scattered across the years rather than a second career. Lenin Pandian changes that arithmetic. He's in the lead role this time, with Roja, for whom the film marks what's being called her second innings, playing opposite him. Ilaiyaraaja has composed the music, keeping the family connection intact behind the camera as well as in front of it.
Gangai Amaran wrapped up the press meet with a line that sounded more promise than pitch: watch the film, and you'll walk out happy. Whether that holds up gets tested soon enough.
Lenin Pandian is set to release on September 25. For a filmmaker better known for what he's built behind the camera across five decades, it's a rare moment where the marketing is coming from an actual lead performance, and from a co-star who clearly isn't letting him off easy in interviews either.
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.