Rathindran R Prasad, director of ‘Kodaikanal won’t’ music video is starting his full-length Tamil feature film starring Ashwin Kakamanu (Ithurkuthane Balakumara, Zero) & Guru Somasundaram (Aaranya Kandam & Joker). This is going to be a travel adventure based on Indian mythological characters. Music director Ghibran has started composing tracks for the film last month. A famous Hollywood wrestler and actor Greg Burridge will be playing the villain and choreographing action sequences. Italian cinematographer ‘Roberto Zazzara’ has been roped into the project.
Crew is right now set to start their first schedule in Chambal valley in Madhya Pradesh. Greg Burridge would be starting to train Ashwin Kakamanu along with 30 local Indian wrestlers for the action sequences. A Bangkok based company has started their initial prep for the VFX of this film.
His music video ‘Kodaikanal Won’t’ has helped the ex-workers of Unilever’s mercury thermometer factory reach a settlement with the Anglo-dutch Corporation. Directed by Rathindran Prasad, the video based on Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’ brought global attention to the issue in Kodaikanal.
From 1984, Hindustan Unilever operated a mercury thermometer factory in the hill town of Tamil Nadu. With no occupational safety measures in place, hundreds of workers were exposed to mercury, a potent neuro-nephro toxin. The factory was shut down by state regulators in 2001 after the company was caught for dumping toxic mercury wastes in a densely populated part of town. Mercury workers and children of ex-workers have suffered health effects, that have resulted in death in several cases.
Millions of people shared the viral music video Kodaikanal Won’t, and more than 150,000 people in over 190 countries petitioned and tweeted to hold Unilever CEO Paul Polman accountable. Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities like Niki Minaj, Ashton Kutcher(Jobs, Butterfly effect), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk in Avengers, Spot light), Guy Kawasaki, Shekher Kapur, Nadhitas Das supported the appreciated and promoted the video to go viral. Even actors of Tamil film industry like Bobby Simha, Rohini & Kalairani participated in the boycott Unilever campaign. The settlement reached between the company and former mercury workers will help compensate 591 ex-workers of Unilever’s factory.
‘Kodaikanal Wont’ won a special mention in the social media category of the First Bala Kailasam Memorial Award 2015.
Added to this Rathindran R Prasad’s short film ‘Swayer Corporations’ a 30 min socio- thriller got selected and was screened in Festival de Cannes the same year. The film is about an angry young environmental activist who is on a journey to kill a CEO of a chemical company. Shot entirely on East Coast Road in a short span of four days. Though the film does not have any background music, music director Ghibran played an entirely different role in this film. He handled the production execution part in India. Now the film has been screened in 19 other international festivals.
This Feature film will be produced by Basak Gaziler Prasad of Whole Wide World films who produced his earlier short film.