Anandita Sundar on Working With Hiphop Tamizha Adhi on ‘Meesaya Murukku 2’: ‘We’re Doing Everything We Can to Live Up to Audience Expectations’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Anandita Sundar has served as creative producer on “Double Occupancy” released earlier this year and will turn executive producer with “Meesaya Murukku 2,” the follow-up to 2017 hit (and the biopic of Hiphop Tamizha Adhi) “Meesaya Murukku.” Speaking exclusively to Variety India, the younger daughter of former actress Kushboo and director C Sundar about the audience reaction to “Double Occupancy” and the excitement of teaming up with Hiphop Tamizha Adhi, who she considers a “brother and mentor”. 

Excerpts…

What thoughts are running through your mind as you prepare for the release of ‘Meesaya Murukku 2’ on September 21?
This is the biggest full-circle moment of my life because when “Meesaya Murukku” released, I was already a huge fan of Hiphop Tamizha Adhi. I remember my dad had met him to consider scoring the music of his film “Aambala” in 2015. I literally broke down and cried and begged my dad to sign him as a music composer for the movie. When Adhi debuted as an actor with “Meesaya Murukku,” I met him and Jeeva [the other half of the music duo known collectively as Hip Hop Tamizha].  Often, they would pick me up from school, and we would visit multiple theatres in Chennai, catching four to five shows per day. Often the shows would be housefull and they would tell the owners, “We are the directors,” but they would be told there were no tickets available. So, we would sit on the stairs in the theatre and watch the movie. Since then, Adhi Anna has been very close to the family. In fact, I call him my brother. So, when I mention siblings, I say Avantika and Adhi Anna. So much so that at his wedding, I took care of all the sisterly duties. And exactly eight years to the day, we started working on “Meesaya Murukku 2”. 

Related Stories

‘Vishwanath and Sons,’ ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit,’ ‘Sarvam Maya’: South Cinema Puts Age-Gap Romances In The Spotlight

Box Office Morning Occupancy Report: ‘Awarapan 2’ Takes the Lead Over ‘Batwara 1947’; ‘Vishwanath and Sons’ Dominates South

Do you remember the first day of the shoot for ‘Meesaya Murukku 2’? 

Yes, I do. It was at Adhi Anna's studio; I was so emotional about it. Adhi Anna hasn't seen me get emotional over him in a really long time. And he has known me for over a decade. He spent the entire day laughing because he could not get over how emotional I got. And working with him for this movie has been the best experience I've had. And honestly, I've always said this: I consider Adhi Anna as a mentor. Besides him, there is Mani Ratnam sir, who I worked with as an AD. He is another mentor to me  

What can one expect from ‘Meesaya Murukku 2?’

I think the main theme of the film is ‘hope’ and not giving up against the odds. It is about hoping for the best and manifesting the best and it will happen. But it is also a reality check for young people. That you can’t live on hope alone, you also have to work hard to make your dreams come true. A lot of people who watched the first film just assumed that they had to manifest things without putting in the effort to succeed. The second film makes them realize that nothing in life can be achieved without hard work. Right. You know, so like, pull your pants up, do the work, and hope for the best. And sometimes it may work, sometimes it won't; just don't give up on what you want. 

Do expectations from the sequel make you nervous?   

What makes the nerves better this time around is having Adhi Anna with me. He's always giving me a pat on the back and rubbing my head and just making me feel better about the entire process. We are hyper aware of the expectations around this film. And we're doing everything in our power to live up to those expectations. 

“Double Occupancy” released earlier this year. What kind of feedback did you get for your first film as creative producer?  

I honestly don't know how I would react to people not liking it. I have been told that people enjoyed watching “Double Occupancy.” Maybe it wasn't a blockbuster, but they enjoyed it. I didn't go into it expecting huge numbers. And this is something everyone around me prepared me for. My parents are so experienced and seasoned, and they, along with close friends from the industry, told me to have realistic expectations. For me, the reactions I received for my movie exceeded my expectations. I am very clear about one thing: ‘Will people resonate with the film?’ Yes. Fantasy was just a small aspect of the film. But the entire film played with human emotions. We had a very emotional ending that people were sad about. I was happy they were sad about it because that meant they connected with the film. In fact, the biggest compliment that I've gotten for the film is when people told me that while watching the film for 2.5 hours, they forgot about their issues.