Having worked as an assistant director for Balu Mahendra and Karthik Subbaraj, Someetharan – who has previously created documentaries – has now directed his first narrative feature film. ‘Neelira’ is a tale that takes place over an evening and a night during a wedding in Jaffna in 1988. With a runtime of ninety minutes, the film is a taut and tense thriller. 

Ahead of the release of his production company Stone Bench’s latest release ‘Neelira’, producer Karthik Subbaraj sat down with Tamil Guardian to discuss the upcoming film as well as diving into a quick retrospective of his career. 

What made you decide to produce 'Neelira'?

Awaiting the release of his debut feature film ‘Neelira’, director Someetharan sat down with Tamil Guardian to discuss his cinematic journey thus far. Being the first Eelam Tamil director to explicitly make a film set entirely in and during the conflict in Kollywood, a lot rests on the director’s shoulders including a lot of anticipation for how the film will perform from the industry. 

Imperial College’s Tamil Society returned with its 32nd ‘Mega Maalai’ showcase earlier this month, featuring a series of standout performances and diverse talent. 

Months after the opening night of their debut play Period Parrrty, Gayathiri Kamalakanthan releases their first book; a novel-in-verse titled Bad Queer. Published by Faber & Faber with illustrations by Chi Nwosu, Bad Queer is a coming-of-age tale following Surya who navigates their first love as a non-binary teenager.

Photograph by Priya Tharmaseelan

When Sunthar V stepped onto the stage at Massey Hall, it marked a defining moment.

“Massey is a historic venue which meant a lot to me, to join so many legends in not only playing it but selling it out. Most of it on the first weekend of the announcement. Producing and financing it independently is also pretty much unheard of.”