Director Ram’s Paranthu Po Thanksgiving Meet*

 *Director Ram’s Paranthu Po Thanksgiving Meet*

Director Ram’s Paranthu Po starring Mirchi Shiva and Grace Antony in the lead roles was released last week and opened to positive reviews. Significantly, the film has witnessed good response in theatres as well. With screen counts and footfalls increasing, the entire team gathered for the Thanksgiving meet to thank the press and media….

Here are some excerpts from the event….

Jio Hotstar Pradeep Milroy Peter said, “When I met Ram sir for the first time, the primary thing I asked him was to make a feel-good, heartwarming entertainer. He then crafted this beautiful story of Parandhu Po. While we were casually discussing casting, Shiva’s name popped up without any prior planning — and finally, we decided, ‘Why not Shiva? It’ll be fresh and different.’ We are glad, as a team, that the film has garnered wonderful response from both critics and general audiences. I thank the press and media family for giving positive reviews, which is drawing more crowds to theatres.”

Music Director Santhosh Dhayanidhi said, “It’s because of the press and media’s positive reviews that the film gained momentum in theatres. I will always be thankful to Director Ram sir for this opportunity. I’ll remember this forever. I thank Hotstar, Shiva sir, Anbu, Madan Karky sir, and everyone for this opportunity.”

Editor V.S. Madhi said, “I am emotionally overwhelmed by the outstanding audience response in theatres. It was so elating to hear my family, relatives, and well-wishers sending wishes, saying the theatres are enjoying our film. It’s delightful to see happiness prevailing after watching the film. My humble thanks to all, especially Director Ram sir.”

Lyricist Madan Karky said, “Director Ram sir changed my style, and we tried breaking clichés. Usually, we all stick to lyrical grammar, but here we broke the rules and blended lyrics with visuals. When everyone was laughing loud in theatres, my son asked me — when the audience is enjoying a film so much, why are many making only dark and intense films? I told him humour is a tough job, and harder to be accepted. Ram sir’s vision and the actors’ natural performances made it work beautifully. My thanks to the entire team.”

Master Mitul Ryan said, “Thanks to Ram uncle for this opportunity. I thank Shiva uncle, Grace aunty, and everyone in the team for being lovely and friendly support.”

Actress Grace Antony said, “I am so happy to be part of this occasion. I thank Ram sir. When I had a desire to act, my mom wasn’t in favour of it. But still, my passion kept me going — and I’m glad my dream came true with my Tamil debut through Ram sir’s film. This feels like the 100th-day celebration of Kumbalangi Nights. It felt like working with a friend — thanks to Shiva for that. I also thank the parents of Anbu; they reminded me of my own parents. I thank you all for this wonderful opportunity.”

Cable Shankar said, “Some films naturally make us turn into PROs and promote them from the heart. Last time it was Director Ram’s Peranbu, and now Parandhu Po. As a writer, Ram has excelled by creating wonderful characters. My heartiest congratulations to Santhosh Dhayanidhi for the perfect score. Madan’s lyrical lines are wonderful. Congrats to the entire team for a beautiful creation.”

Actor Mirchi Shiva said, “When the press screening happened, I wasn’t sure about the response. But I was elated when the media clapped and laughed for many scenes. Significantly, the audience in theatres responded the same way. That’s when we realized — the press is the first audience, and their approval means everything. We visited so many theatres and the heartwarming response was inspiring. Director Ram is returning after six years and theatres gave him a warm welcome. I request him to make more films, especially feel-good ones like this every year. Thanks to the entire cast and crew for making me feel like family. The assistant directors were a huge pillar of support, even now, the special visual glimpse we just saw was prepared 20 minutes before the event by them. Their dedication throughout was phenomenal. Thanks to the press and media for your love. Thanks to the audience for embracing this film and making it a success.”

Producer V. Karupuchamy said, “I thank the entire team for giving us confidence to produce this film. When Ram sir met us, he asked us to proceed only if we believed in it. We are a joint family and we all enjoyed the film together. I thank Ram sir and the team for making this a great beginning for us. We’ll be announcing our next project soon. Thank you all.”

Director Ram said, “So far in my career, I have never seen such a commercial success. After screenings, people used to call my films ‘classics’ or ‘masterpieces’, but this is the first time I’ve heard the word ‘HIT’. I thank the press and media for that. I hosted nearly 40 screenings for Parandhu Po. Many distributors gave wrong judgments, especially about my pairing with Shiva. But when I wrote the script, I believed it would work theatrically — and with the arrival of Shiva and Grace Antony, it was elevated. Working with new producers means double responsibility. There were pressures, but today we’re relieved.

Pradeep and I started discussing this project during the lockdown. He’s the one who locked the genre, ’Happy and Feel-Good'. Otherwise, I’d still be creating multiple storylines.
He also influenced the climax change of Yezhu Malai Yezhu Kadal. Santhosh Dhayanidhi composed many songs and has been a pillar. Madan Karky treated the songs as narrative tools.

When I suggested Grace Antony, Pradeep sir initially asked if she would suit a mainstream film — and now she’s proven she can. Thanks to Anjali, Vijay Yesudas, and Aju Varghese sir for their amazing support. 

Shiva sir took great effort in promoting the film and me as a director. I wanted Shiva’s character to reflect his real-life persona. Many are now appreciating our (Ram × Shiva) combo and saying it has opened doors for content-driven humour films. Romeo Pictures Raahul supported the release — from screen count to predicting demand. Thanks again to press and media for making this a huge success. Thank you all!”