Reporting by Janani K; Photos by Sriram Narasimhan. Photos from the press meet are below the report.
The cast and crew of Pandiraj’s Pasanga 2 hadn’t arrived. The waiting journalists were in deep conversation. Everything was being avidly discussed, from Ilaiyaraaja’s angry reply to a journalist’s question, STR’s ‘beep’ song, a fellow journalist’s complaint about STR, Anirudh on the beep song; and most importantly, how much damage their house took during the floods. Suriya’s entrance abruptly stopped the chatter. He gracefully greeted the senior journalists, and the press meet began.
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2D Entertainment’s director and co-producer Rajasekar Pandian said, “Pasanga 2 is 2D Entertainment’s maiden production even though 36 Vayadhinile, starring Jothika, was the first to release.” Pasanga 2’s director Pandiraj then talked about the world of Pasanga 2.
He said, “Pasanga 2 is a story based on ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) children, living in the heart of the city. Pasanga was story of my childhood, so it was easy to write the screenplay. But, it took a long time for me to understand the mentality of the children living in Chennai. Pasanga 2 is a child-friendly film. About and for hyperactive children. In fact, there were no previous films on children suffering from ADHD that we could refer to, so we had to do a lot of research. Raising a child is definitely an art, and those who master it will know how their child would react in every situation.” He added that established actors like Samuthirakani, Soori, Jayaprakash and RV Udaykumar had agreed to be a part of the film because of the film’s socially relevant theme.
The question on everyone’s mind at the press meet was, “Is Pasanga 2 a remake of the Hindi film, Taare Zameen Par?” Actress Bindu Madhavi, who plays a doting mother, said, “The only similarity between Pasanga 2 and Taare Zameen Par is that these movies deal with child issues. Otherwise, they’re poles apart.”
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Suriya sounded every bit the proud producer. First, however, he saluted the brave people who had helped thousands during the Tamil Nadu floods. He said, “The Chennai floods gave the city a new identity. This happened because of selfless volunteers like Radha maa (a milk vendor), Mohammad Yunus (a Muslim man who helped a pregnant Hindu woman), and Bharath, who passed away during a rescue operation. These people are the faces of Chennai from now on. We at Agaram Foundation are also actively helping rebuild the lives of many people. Since we had already announced Pasanga 2‘s release date, we had to concentrate on the production front as well. But the catastrophic rainfall made me reconsider Pasanga 2‘s promotions. Now, we’re promoting this quality film as much as we can.”
He also had a message for his fans. That they shouldn’t keep Singam 3 and 24 in mind while watching Pasanga 2. “My role in the movie was demanding. I had to think about impressing the children and how to make them laugh. I altered my body language and imitated Nagesh, Robbin Williams, and Jim Carrey. I’m proud to have been a part of this film. I hope this film continues the successful run 36 Vayadhinile started for 2D Entertainment.”
