Vignesh Shivan unveils Maya Unleashed – India’s first-ever female action short
The multi-faceted Maya S Krishnan, who is well-known as a theatre artiste, singer, gymnast, and comedian, is the lead in ‘Maya Unleashed’, which is India’s first-ever female action short. Shot entirely in Paris, the film was helmed by one of the most celebrated stunt choreographers of France – Yannick Ben, who directed the action sequences. Both Maya and Yannick worked together in Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Dhruva Natchathiram.
Impressed with Maya’s proficiency in performing action sequences, Yannick expressed his desire to do a full-fledged action feature with her in the lead. Gautham Menon proudly said “I discovered Maya first” in his promotional video leading up to the release of the short. “All thanks to Gautham Vasudev Menon for being the God particle behind this creation,” says Maya in high spirits.
She also expresses her gratitude towards Yannick for trusting her with this role and says “if not for the disciplined training, hard work, and confidence the entire crew had on me, this would not have been possible.” The team shot this in March this year after two weeks of intense training. “We had the idea of showcasing this as a pilot, hoping to secure a bigger platform for a feature film” says Maya, who also adds with a smile “we hope to make an official announcement about this dream feature once we have the right support.”
As for Yannick Ben, he has choreographed action sequences in the acclaimed international film ‘Fury’, Amazon Prime series ‘The Family Man’ followed by Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Dhruva Natchathiram, and Joshua – Imaipol Kaakka. Directed by Marc David, ‘Maya Unleashed’ was unveiled by Vignesh Shivan. The film is produced by Marc David Action Design, Mr. G Rathinavelu, and Wild World Stunt Team.
