36 Vayadhinile marks the come-back of the bubbly beauty Jyotika on screen after eight long years. Every time a talented actress enters into wedlock, nowadays it’s become nearly impossible to see them on screen again. Post her marriage, an incredible actress like Simran needed a Vaaranam Ayiram to announce the world that her acting skills are intact by bagging her fifth Filmfare award in her career for the film. Interestingly, the Malayalam film How Old Are You, the original version of 36 Vayadhinile, marked the come-back of Manju Warrier, one of the most gifted actresses down South, to the silver screen after 15 years.
There are some curious ironies in both Manju Warrier and Jyotika’s careers. Manju Warrier was the most in-demand actress in Malayalam when she got married to Dileep in 1998 and the couple headed for a divorce when she made a come-back. Reports suggested that Dileep was against her comeback to films. In Jyotika’s case, it is Suriya, her husband, who has been the central reason for Jyotika’s come-back to the Tamil screen.
“Suriya gave me the DVD of How Old Are You and told me to watch it. He said, if I have to make a come-back, it should be with this film for the beautiful message it conveys,” said Jyotika in an interview.
What is 36 Vayadhinile all about?
The film is about a married woman re-discovering her shelved dreams. It’s about self-examination. It narrates the story of a 36-year old married woman who battles all odds to fulfill her dreams in a socially conscious manner.
The entire message of the film can be summed up as – “Life doesn’t end for a woman after marriage”
“I married and had children at the age that many women do. And now, I’m back to work. However, many women in our society let their lives take a backseat forever. They don’t ever get back to doing something for themselves. This film emphasises that life doesn’t have to end for a woman after marriage,” Jyotika said this when asked if the film is a metaphor for her own life.
With an ensemble cast that includes Rahman, Abhirami, Delhi Ganesh, Devadarshini, Ilavarasu, MS Baskar, Nasser, Sanjay Bharathi, Siddharth Basu and Khalil Hussain, the film is directed by Rosshan Andrrews who helmed the original version too.
Santhosh Narayanan’s music is already declared a hit. The song Raasathi topped the charts and made the makers to shoot the song with fresh visuals for the film’s promos. Jyotika agreed for the extended shoot immediately to film the song.
What is the difference between the original and the remake?
“The story remains the same, but the environment changes. The emotion is the same, but the reaction is different. Jyotika’s body language lends this film a new flavour. If How Old Are You was a sculpture, I’m merely polishing the stone for Tamil viewers,” said Rosshan Andrrews.
36 Vayadhinile hits screens on May 15th, 2015. Run-time: 115 minutes
The film is releasing in nearly 250 screens in Tamil Nadu by Studio Green.
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Written by Surendhar MK