Thunder Media’s Kanmani Ranganathan and L.V. Entertainment’s Vengal M. Lingeswaran have jointly produced ‘Paris Cafe’, written and directed by debut filmmaker Saraj Seelan. The film stars Guru Somasundaram and Anumol in the lead roles, along with Archana Kumar, Vijay Vishwa, Sai Vicky, Nayana, Bipin and others in important roles.
The music for the film has been composed by K, cinematography is by Sathish G, and National Award-winning editor V.J. Sabu Joseph has handled the editing.
The audio launch of the film, which is scheduled to release in theatres soon, was held at Prasad Lab in Chennai. The film’s cast and crew attended the event, along with special guests including Kowsalya Shankar, director Mithran Jawahar and cinematographer Sivakumar Vijayan.
Producer Kanmani Ranganathan said:
“Paris Cafe is a small-budget film, but it has a strong message. It talks about an important issue happening in our society. We are proud to have Guru Somasundaram and Anumol in the film. The director is my husband. He has been trying to become a filmmaker for 20 years, but circumstances prevented him from doing so. This time, I became the producer. He has also done a lot of book research for this film. I feel very proud of my husband.”
Co-producer Lingeswaran said that the film industry was new to him, but after completing this film, he became interested in producing another film, mainly because of the director.
Art director Thamu said he was very happy to work on the film and thanked the director for giving him the opportunity.
Editor Sabu praised debut director Saraj Seelan, saying that he did not appear like a first-time director and had handled everything very well. He also expressed happiness that the director’s 20-year dream had finally become a reality.
Special guest director Mithran Jawahar congratulated the entire team and said that having one’s wife become the producer of a film is a great blessing. He also praised Guru Somasundaram and wished the film great success.
Cinematographer Sivakumar Vijayan said the director’s 23-year dream had come true because of his honesty and dedication. He said he liked the title Paris Cafe and believed the film would be close to reality.
Actress Nayana Sai thanked the director for giving her the opportunity and expressed her happiness at working with Guru Somasundaram and Anumol. She requested audiences to watch and support the film in theatres.
Actor Vijay Vishwa thanked the producer and director for giving him the opportunity. He said he had learned a lot while working with Guru Somasundaram and Anumol. He also requested the Tamil Nadu government to consider starting an OTT platform to support small films that do not receive proper recognition.
Actor Bipin described Paris Cafe as a very different film from the ones he had previously acted in and praised its well-crafted story.
Actor Sai Vicky said this was his first major opportunity and that he had been trying to establish himself as an actor for seven years. He praised the director for giving him an opportunity without judging him based on social media popularity.
He said:
“This film talks about an important issue and presents a strong subject in a very gentle manner. We live in a society where people who sexually abuse children are not even killed, but people are murdered for falling in love. This needs to change. Paris Cafe is a film about that change.”
Actress Archana said this was her third film and the result of ten years of hard work. She spoke about facing body-shaming from a young age and said she had now gained confidence when she saw herself on camera. She praised Guru Somasundaram and Anumol and called the story beautiful and socially relevant.
Actor and producer Ganesh said he was attracted to the film because of its interesting story and positive team environment. He added that every character in the film has a meaning.
Actress Anumol
Speaking at the event, actress Anumol said:
“Greetings to everyone. This is a very important film. I choose to act only in films that are meaningful to society. When I spoke to the director, I felt a lot of confidence in him, and that is why I agreed to do this film. I am very happy to have worked with all the actors and actresses in this film.”
She also praised music composer K, saying that she particularly liked his Malayalam songs. Speaking about working with Guru Somasundaram, she jokingly said:
“I am angry with him because he told me that another heroine was more beautiful than me! Even now, I had a little argument with him. But it is an affectionate fight. I have a lot of respect for him. He treats everyone equally.”
She concluded:
“I am very happy to have acted in this film. I thank the director, producer and everyone involved. This is not just a small film; it is a very important film.”
Music composer K said the film was very special to him and thanked the team and all the singers who worked on the songs.
Guru Somasundaram
Guru Somasundaram said he immediately agreed to the film after hearing the director’s story. He praised the producer for supporting her husband’s long-held filmmaking dream and described Paris Cafe as a content-oriented film.
He also praised assistant director-turned-actor Vicky for his performance and thanked everyone involved in the project.
Guru added:
“A country that does not respect women cannot progress. Another Kowsalya should not have to exist here. Only when we change will everything change. That is what this film talks about.”
Kowsalya
Special guest Kowsalya said she initially wondered why she had been invited because cinema was not her field, but after watching the film, she understood why.
She said:
“This is a film that society really needs. The love shown in this film felt very natural. The film clearly shows how a woman should be treated in society.”
She also spoke about caste-based honour killings and said that such incidents continue to happen in Tamil Nadu, often involving parents.
She added:
“We have been asking the government for a separate law against honour killings. I believe this film could contribute to that change.”
She also praised Guru Somasundaram, saying that he does not simply act as a character but lives the character.
Director Saraj Seelan
Director Saraj Seelan spoke emotionally about his long journey towards becoming a filmmaker. He said his interest in cinema began when he was six years old, inspired by his father, who regularly took him to watch films.
He said he grew up watching and discussing films and was particularly influenced by filmmakers such as Bharathiraja, K. Balachander, Balu Mahendra and K. Bhagyaraj.
He recalled making a one-minute short film with his daughter, which was selected for a festival and changed his perspective towards filmmaking. From then on, he decided that cinema would be his life.
He thanked Guru Somasundaram for immediately agreeing to the project after hearing the story and thanked Anumol for accepting the film after listening to the story over the phone.
He also expressed gratitude to the entire cast and crew, especially editor Sabu, the art department and music composer K.
Overall, the team describes ‘Paris Cafe’ as a socially relevant, content-driven film that addresses love, caste discrimination, women’s rights and honour killings, with the aim of encouraging social change.
