Director Chimbu Deven is probably the only filmmaker in Tamil cinema with a huge experimental appetite. He kick started his career with the ingenious historical comedy flick Imsai Arasan 23 Aam Pulikecei with Vadivelu in lead. At its release the entertainer became the talk of the town. Its impact on the audience was so profound that even today many quips from the movie are deployed in memes. His sophomore project was also an experiment based on Hollywood film Bruce Almighty in the likes of Santhanam’s Arai En 305-Il Kadavul. The drama had a great reception among the audience. He followed it with yet another experimental movie in Raghava Lawrence’s Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam. The film which was based on a western style cowboy comedy did not achieve the expected outcome. His fourth directorial was also an experimentation comedy on magical realism Oru Kanniyum Moonu Kalavaanikalum with Arulnithi in lead. His following works Vijay’s Puli and the anthology series Kasada Tabara were in the experimental zone too.
Boat, a survival thriller directed by Chimbu Deven hit the screens recently. Actor Yogi Babu and actress Gouri G Kishan had headlined the project. The storyteller recently sat down with a leading media house to talk about his flick. Speaking about why he opted to do a survival thriller, he confessed, “To do a survival thriller has always been on my mind.” Talking about why he chose to set his plot at the backdrop of a sea, he revealed, “It happened because of a conversation with my friend. He was narrating me of stories about how our fishermen during the Japanese bombing of Madras Presidency used to take their boats and go in to the sea to escape the air raids. The stories were so inspiring and intriguing that I had to turn them in to a movie. Not just that I have taken inspiration from novels like Thaneer Desam, Kadal Pura, and The Old Man And The Sea. Also, from entertainers such as Life of Pi and Cast Away.”
Sharing about the experiences of shooting at the mercy of nature, he divulged, “To be honest, it was a challenging experience. We shot off the coast of Uvari in Thisayanvilai. Predominant portion of the drama was set in a small boat that could only accommodate ten individuals. So, we had to hire another boat and park it parallelly to shoot. But the more challenging part was no matter how firmly you set up the camera gears it still would teeter. We had to demonstrate a lot of patience. The interesting aspect was many of us had no idea about how to swim. So, the actors were nervous and dizzy. But we ended up shooting successfully, managing everything. Overall, it was a memorable experience for all of us.” Detailing about why he took the risk of shooting in the ocean, he explained, “It is not just for authenticity of the background. We had a budget limitation. It did not make sense to put up a set to shoot as it would devour our entire budget. So, I decided to shoot in the ocean.”
The Cast of Boat also has actors M S Bhaskar, Chinni Jayanth, Kollapuli Leela, Sha Ra, Chaams, Madhumitha, Jesse Fox Allen, and Aakshath Das portraying various supporting characters. Music director Ghibran has taken care of the musical division of the venture. Cinematographer Madhesh Manickam has operated cameras for the film. Editor Mani Maran has overseen the editing department. Art director S Ayyappan has designed the background for the lick. The entertainer is produced by Chimbu Deven under his home banner Chimbudevan Entertainment in association with Prabha Premkumar under the banner label Maali and Manvi Movie Makers.
