1977 – The History Rewritten. Tamil hero Sarath Kumar new film (also coming up in its Telugu dubbed version with the same title) is under brisk shooting schedule in and around Hyderabad. Starred and produced by Tamilnadu’s Supreme Hero on home production RSK Pictures Pvt. Limited banner, this curiously titled flick has the debut director GN Dinesh Kumar. He arranged a press meet at a star hotel in city. Farzana, Jayasudha and the director joined him at the media briefing. The film is set for release by August 31st.

Sarath Kumar said: “1977 is my 107th movie over three decades. When Dinesh narrated the script, it sounded like a Bond film and I immediately jumped into its making. The story is set in a remote village by the sea in Tamilnadu, with 70 percent of the shoot taking place in Malaysia. I thank the Malaysian government for its ready cooperation to our shoot, besides keeping at our disposal a giant fleet of 200 police cars. Highlight is that we shot extensively at 200-year-old church at Malaka.”

“I always concentrated in Tamil. Though I recently appeared in Bunny in Telugu, I always prefer my films to be in dual languages. In 1977, I am happy to be working with Jayasudha, my dream girl of college days. Namita is known for her glamour and she did bring justice to our film. You can see her glamour on the poster there. (Pointing to a sensuous poster of the heroine at the venue). She plays the role of a lawyer and is a big asset to our film. She even jumped a 200ft building along with me for a thrill. Farzana worked with ease though she didn’t know anything about Tamil language. Three stunt masters (Anal Arasu, Willing Ong and Kanal Kannan) worked for this film. The last leg of the action part would be shot in KL. Vidya Sagar’s music will be a soothing experience. His music will create the mood of the 1977, besides matching with the subject,” he added.

When asked about the relevance of the title as 1977, the hero-producer said the year always held big importance to the people of Tamilnadu as on that year MGR formed his ministry. “With fiction playing its role, we incorporated the element of some important happening in Malaysia at the same year,” he said.

Sarath Kumar plays 6 different getups, including that of a Vijaya Mallya-like, an inspector and others. There are five songs in the film, with heavy dose of action. It is planned to release the film in Tamil, with its dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malay and Chinese. “I am stunned to see the response of the Chinese to the Tamil films. In view of this patronage, we have decided to release the film in Chinese with subtitles.”

Director GN Dinesh Kumar said: “This is my debut film. Earlier, I worked for hundreds of ad films. 1977 is shaping up with a budget of more than Rs. 15 Crore. There is no doubt that it will match the standards of a Hollywood film. It is based on a real incident that took place in Tamilnadu, though we gave realistic play to our imagination. Actually, I worked on the script for two years. Sarath Kumar plays dual role in the flick. You all know the power of the hero when he plays such characterization. It will represent the taste of all segments of the audience – youth, women, kids, students and others.

Farzana said: “This is my first film in Tamil that I took up immediately after my debut film was released in Telugu. I am highly privileged to costar with a top hero like Sarath Kumar. I am sure; the film will establish my career in Tamil also.”

Jayasudha said: “People might wonder what business I have in an action film like 1977. But, I ever liked both action and comedy films. Definitely, the Telugu audience will like 1977.”

Some of the highlights of the film are:

1) 15 Crore Budget
2) Six Getups of Sarath Kumar
3) A risky stunt sequence shot in Malaysia on the terrace of the 53rd floor
4) Shot in Super 35mm format
5) A Rs. 40 lakh village set near Ramanathapuram district in TN
6) Use of 200 boats and 1000 fishermen for the intro song of the hero
7) A dance sequence with 5000 junior artistes and 200 dancers joining Sarath Kumar
8) 60 days of shoot in various places of historic and tourist importance in Malaysia.
9) Casting of Malaysian stars in the film
10) Cinematography by Bhupathy K.

1977 links:
• Photo Gallery
• Namitha photos