Connect director Ashwin Saravanan on making a film without an interval, expresses interest to team up with Nani

UV Creations is distributing the Telugu version of the horror thriller directed by the Mayuri maker

Director Ashwin Saravanan

Nayanthara has had an eventful year with four releases in as many as three languages - Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. Her last release for the year will be the horror-thriller Connect, directed by Ashwin Saravanan, known for his critically acclaimed projects like Mayuri and Game Over in the past. Leading Telugu banner UV Creations will be distributing the Telugu version of the same. Ahead of the film’s release on December 22, Ashwin Saravanan interacted with the Telugu media today.

“Many families didn’t stay together during the COVID-19 lockdown, with several members stuck in different locations owing to their prior commitments. Connect is about a mother and a daughter stuck in a flat in one such situation. The daughter behaves strangely over a few days as if she’s posessed by a ghost. How far will a mother go to save her child? This forms the crux of the story. The horror-thriller is certain to leave you awestruck and give you goosebumps,” Ashwin shares.

The mother in the story takes help of a Father named Augustine, a character played by Anupam Kher. The veteran took extreme care to play the part as realistically as possible, the filmmaker says. “Hollywood films don’t have intervals because they believe it’ll affect the momentum of the story. Similarly, with Connect, the intensity of the storytelling won’t be compromised for over 90 minutes. The runtime will ensure that the viewer won’t feel restless.”

He feels it’s important for audiences to embrace the idea of watching a film without an interval and the fate of Connect is crucial for the same reason. “With a 90-minute runtime, theatre owners can ascreen as many 6-7 shows in a day.” Connect is Ashwin’s second film with Nayanthara after Maaya/Mayuri. The director and the actor trust each other well enough and this made their collaboration was rather seamless. “She didn’t want me to compromise on the film and hence got Vignesh Shivn to produce it,” he adds.

After listening to the story, Nayanthara left no stone unturned to ensure a global appeal to Connect and gave Ashwin enough freedom to make the film without any hassles. “I admire her as a performer and she made an impact in every sequence in this film. The film will fetch her many more admirers. An experiment like this could’ve made only with an actress like her.” Ashwin credits composer Prudhvi for his efforts to enhance the impact of the film and said that the sound-design alone took three months.

As a storyteller, Ashwin’s main aim is to keep the audiences glued to the screens. “A film like Masooda performed very well in theatres and audiences enjoy slick, well made films regardless of the language. Telugu and Tamil film industries are more united than ever before to make quality cinema. It’s a healthy atmosphere. I had first narrated the story of Mayuri to Nani and he wanted to produce it too. I really like his films and want to team up with him some day.”

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