Arulnithi interview: On ‘Demonte Colony 2’ and building a franchise

Actor Arulnithi speaks about his first sequel film, ‘Demonte Colony 2,’ doing films in genres apart from thrillers, and playing it safe with budgets

After back-to-back interviews promoting his upcoming film, Demonte Colony 2, actor Arulnithi seems as exhausted as his character was at the end of the first Demonte Colony film as he sits down with us for a quick chat.

The conversation begins with how Arulnithi’s recent films have all garnered predominantly positive reviews and are reportedly profitable but fell short of transcending boundaries to become astounding successes. “This level of success is definitely not sufficient. Anyone who makes films would want it to reach a wider audience and get appreciation. My films have gotten recognition, and titles like Diary and Kazhuvethi Moorkkanhave been called different attempts. They were supposed to be much bigger hits, but other factors like release dates could have hindered that. But none of my films have had a large budget, and I’ve always safeguarded its returns,” he says.

His recent outings, like D Block and Dejavu, were financially fruitful, he points out. “The films also found their audience, and the producers were safe. That’s a risk we know we’re indulging in when we pick thrillers as it’s a genre that might not be everyone’s choice. If I had done a film in a different genre that yielded such results, that would’ve been worrisome. If I have to change my genre, then I would have to do films that would appeal to the mass audience.” That does not mean the usual commercial films with songs and fight sequences, he clarifies.

A lot of romcoms and family dramas have reached the mass audience, and I would like to do them as well, but I have to make sure those films don’t receive the same level of reception. I think my thrillers are achieving a sufficient amount of success.” While his peers have spent more years before their first sequel, Arulnithi has made Demonte Colony 2 in a little over a decade since his debut. “This sequel is something we had planned long ago, but director Ajay (Gnanamuthu) wanted it to happen at the right time. A lot of factors had to come together for this to happen.”

Almost all the sequels in Tamil cinema have had issues working as a standalone film, failing to recreate the magic of its predecessor. “Everyone loved Demonte Colony, and what I consider to be the biggest advantage of Demonte Colony 2 is how the story continues from the original film. It would have been a topic of concern if the film was a standalone sequel. The sequel will be a success since it has the raciness and thrills the first part had,” says the actor.

“Moreover, the first film was shot on a small budget, but over the years, the director has also made some big-budget films, and the space to do it bigger is high in this sequel. Be it storywise or technically, he brought the best for each frame,” says Arulnithi, adding that the meticulous post-production work took its time. “We could have released the film in mere months after the shooting got wrapped up, but CG plays a major part — 70-80% of the film has some level of CG work — and it was quite a challenge.” Arulnithi says the filmmaker in Ajay has evolved over the years. “The grandeur of the Demonte Colony 2 reflects it. I’m very confident that the sequel will satisfy the fans of the first film,” he says.

Earlier, there was news that a Demonty Colony franchise was on the cards. “We have planned it till the fourth film, but that will depend on the success of Demonte Colony 2. This film’s success will determine the size and budget of the upcoming films. The idea is to bring the next two films within the next six years, and when Ajay narrated the sequel, he already had the idea for the next two films. The third part’s story has something huge in store!”