For those who spent their youth playing cricket in the streets and public grounds in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, the game meant something different. Thanks to television, advertisements and a phenomenon called Sachin Tendulkar, the frenzy for the game had started to hold a firm grip on the youth, birthing a unique street cricket culture. This was a cricket before rubber balls were introduced and cork balls were in practice; when you don’t cover-drive a juicy half-volley, but loft it over the bowler’s head instead. It was an unorthodox form of cricket that belonged to that era and was lost with modernisation, change in cricketing gear, and reduced space for playing due to gentrification. However, that long-gone era is the period to which filmmaker S Jayakumar wishes to take you with his upcoming film, Blue Star, set to release in theatres this Friday.
Produced by Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Productions, and starring Ashok Selvan, Shanthnu, Keerthi Pandian, Prithvi Rajan and Dhivya Duraisamy among others, Blue Star is a sports drama that explores the lives of a bunch of cricket-frenzy youngsters in Arakkonam, Chennai, in the 1990s. For actors like Shanthnu and Prithvi, who witnessed the boom of street cricket in the old days, Blue Star was quite the experience. “Going back to Arakkonam, playing that form of cricket, wearing a pad on just one leg, and running in just slippers is something I miss right now — not because I used to play in that fashion in the 90s — but that’s how fun it was to play like that while shooting,” says Shanthnu.
Apart from being a sports drama, the film is also a political drama that draws parallels between sports and life. “It speaks of the politics between two teams or between players of the same team, and how the politics from outside disrupts things on the ground, and so on. All of these themes can be related to what’s happening in society as well. Moreover, it also speaks about the politics behind why so many talented cricketers end up not getting the opportunities they rightfully deserve,” says Shanthnu.
When cinema falls in love with cricket
One can draw a fascinating parallel between cricketing personalities and actors; like how cricketers have to soak in the pressure and perform, even amidst one lakh eager spectators in a stadium, actors need to drain out all the internal and external noises on a movie set. For that aspect, Shanthnu is in awe of the nerves of steel that former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni displayed over the years. Prithvi, on the other hand, is inspired by something ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said in a recent interview, “Someone asked him about being dropped from the squad during some marquee matches of the 2023 World Cup, and he said, ‘No matter what, my passion is cricket. Even if I don’t get to play, I get to watch cricket up close, free of cost, with free accommodation, good facilities and so on. So, I am alright because I know my time to enter the ground will come again.’ That was really inspiring.”
However, Shanthnu points out one major difference between the kind of pressure that actors and cricketers face. “Cricketers face enormous pressure because they are representing a nation. No matter who says what, they have to be responsible for an entire country.”
On the flip side, the pressure of having to be both the actor and the character at a point in time is something cricketers wouldn’t have to deal with, he adds. “That is, Shanthnu has to be both Shanthnu as well as the character he plays. So when I get into the skin of the character so deeply, I have to still be aware of what’s going on around me, the instructions being given, the changes in the ambience and so on, and I have to do that without disturbing the face of the character. That’s unique for sure.”
Shanthnu in a still from ‘Blue Star’
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Special Arrangement
Shanthnu on playing Rajesh and why Prithvi’s Sam is his favourite character in the film
In Blue Star, Shanthnu plays Rajesh, a young man who takes on Ashok’s character, Ranjith, on the playground. “From Ranjith’s point of view, Rajesh is negative, and vice-versa, but they are both good people in their own ways. The way Jayakumar had written the graph for Rajesh was truly impressive.” Shanthnu has no qualms in saying that though he likes Rajesh, his favourite character in Blue Star is the one played by Prithvi. “He plays Sam, Ranjith’s younger brother, and it is based on the character of Jayakumar himself; Ranjith is based on Jayakumar’s elder brother. This is a role that is going to work out well for Prithvi in his career,” says Shanthnu.
Prithvi Rajan in a still from ‘Blue Star’
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Special Arrangement
“Sam is a nice guy who just speaks and does things out of impulse without thinking much. Also, whatever he does in the film, even though he does with serious intentions, would look a bit funny to the audience,” says Prithvi, adding that the siblinghood between Ranjith and Sam will surely become a talking point after the release. “They are the kind of brothers who wouldn’t express their love for each other outwardly but would never give up on each other.” In fact, Sam has a romantic track that would garner as much attention as that between Ashok and Keerthi’s characters, he says.
Training to play an unorthodox form of cricket
Though both Shanthnu and Prithvi are trained in professional cricket — both of them have displayed their skills in the many editions of Celebrity Cricket League — pulling off a cricket film like Blue Star was no cakewalk. Firstly, to look like young boys in their early 20s, the three male leads had to reduce almost 10 kgs in a short period. “Prithvi and I used to run from Nungambakkam to Guindy every morning, and on some days, even touch the 10-kilometre mark. We kept doing this for three months every day apart from maintaining our diet. Then came aspects like growing our hair, changing our look, adding a tan to our skin, and so on.”
Prithvi had to learn fast bowling. “I am a wicket-keeper batsman in real life, but Sam is a complete fast bowler who can slog with the bat if needed. In fact, we had to find a unique bowling action for Sam.” Apart from all this, the actors also socialised with young boys who continue to play this form of street cricket to observe how they go about it.
Ashok Selvan and Shanthnu in a still from ‘Blue Star’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Team spirit, on and off the camera
Shanthnu and Prithvi share a decades-long friendship, thanks to how close their families are. Shanthnu is the son of veteran actor-director K Bhagyaraj while Prithvi is the son of ace actor-filmmaker Pandiarajan, someone who started as an assistant director to Bhagyaraj. And Shanthnu is happy to see how Prithvi aced the role of Sam. “We have been brothers and family friends since childhood and I could always see the pain he has gone through to be known as his father’s son because the current generation of audiences is wary of star kids.” Blue Star is the third film in which both the actors share the screen, after Vaaimai and Kasada Thapara. “We have played a lot of cricket together and I am happy that cricket has once again brought us together,” says Prithvi.
Up next, Shanthnu is set to star in a web series alongside a big star. “That is produced by a well-renowned filmmaker and we are yet to announce the project. I completed shooting for a film with director Thiru, in which I star alongside Jai, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Vani Bhojan; it should be ready for release in April or May.” Meanwhile, Prithvi is playing a pivotal role in filmmaker Mysskin’s Train. “I want to become a dependable actor, someone who directors can confidently say would do things differently and stand out. I’m waiting to see where the reception for Blue Star takes me.”
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