Nicky Sundaram, grandson of TVS Group founder TV Sundaram Iyengar, will be seen in the lead with Aishwarya Rajesh in the crime-thriller Mei. The Indian-American actor plays an NRI doctor in the film, directed by SA Bhaskaran.
TVS’ production house, Sundaram Productions, is backing the film. Nicky, who went to an acting school in New York, makes his acting debut in an Indian film with Mei. At a press meet yesterday, he said, “It is a dream come true to pursue my passion for acting. While doing this film, I realised I’ve not had a more enjoyable experience in my life. I thank the cast and crew of the film for that, especially director Bhaskaran, who has been committed to the project throughout, and Aishwarya, who is a very talented actress and a great friend.”
Aishwarya Rajesh said that when she was approached for the film she did not want to sign up as she was not prepared to commit to a new team, and her schedule was packed. “I got a second call requesting me to listen to the script, and I did. It got me interested,” she said.
The film exposes the irregularities in the medical industry, and Aishwarya said she too has been a victim of this. “I went to a private hospital once for fever, and was asked to get admitted and take MRI and ECG scans. I had to leave the hospital by force, but was charged Rs 1 lakh for this. In the end they only gave me an ordinary medicine for fever. I’m not saying all hospitals function this way, but I have learned of the much bigger scandals that happen in this industry.”
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Director Bhaskaran said that the title Mei, meaning truth, also refers to the human body. “The film exposes the scandals in the so-called life-saving field of medicine and health care and organ donation swindle. It is inspired by an incident that happened in my friend’s life at a private hospital. Murugesan has written the script.”
He said, “Nicky fitted the bill of an NRI doctor, and also had a stint in acting at Devi School in Chennai to get the proper Tamil diction. He loves acting, and his stunt sequences have come out well. Aishwarya Rajesh gives importance to the story and is particular about having a substantial role. She was impressed with my narration and had faith in the script. There are no formulaic romantic scenes in the film.”
Actor Kishore stars as a cop, and Charle, Vinod Krishnan and Ajay Ghosh are part of the supporting cast. The film recently cleared the censors with a U certificate, and will release on August 23.
Watch the trailer here: