As Atharvaa gears up for the release of his much-anticipated romantic entertainer, it cannot be denied that besides promising a fun, coming-of-age film, Idhayam Murali also marks an important milestone for the actor, as the film’s title is an heartful tribute to his father, the late actor Murali’s iconic 1991 classic romance drama, Idhayam.
Drawing parallels from Idhayam’s story where Murali’s character is unable to confess his love, Idhayam Murali tells a story of one-sided love, hinting at Atharvaa’s character going in search of his lover, played by Preity Mukhundhan, in a foreign land after facing rejection from her when at school.
In a recent interview, however, Atharvaa had denied all claims of his film being a sequel to his father’s Idhayam, saying, “The only common point between the two films is a boy struggling to confess his love to the girl. Beyond that, there will be references to the 1991 film.”
Speaking about the title of the film, Atharvaa noted that he was rather anxious contemplating on how the title would live up to the classic original: “The working title for the film was Cassette. When Aakash (director) wanted to call it Idhayam Murali, I asked him to change it. But Idhayam Murali definitely has some elements found in Idhayam,” he said.
“While the title gives me a lot of happiness, there was a lot of responsibility, too.”
Atharvaa also spoke about how closely he holds his father’s popular film to his heart. He said that he did not watch the film when it released back in 1991 because of his age at the time. “I was too young when it released; even if I watched it back then, I would not have understood it,” the actor said. He added that he watched Idhayam for the first time when he completed his 12th standard examination. “That is when I watched it properly, although I had heard its songs before as well. I think it is one of my favourite films,” he said.
Releasing in theatres on July 10, Idhayam Murali also stars Natty, composer Thaman S himself, Niharika NM, Sudhakar of Parithabangal fame, Yashashree Rao, singer Jonita Gandhi, and Anju Kurian, among others.
Source: Cinema Express
