Malayalam filmmaker Jithu Madhavan debuted in Tamil cinema with the Suriya, Nazriya Nazim and Naslen-starrer Scene. Well before the film’s release on November 6, speculation rose that Suriya would play a blind character in it. After the film’s release, Jithu spoke about how he felt when that news leaked. He also addressed criticism that the first song released from the film wasn't massy.
Jithu Madhavan says Scene leak was scary
On the Cineulagam YouTube channel, Jithu was asked how he felt when he saw fans had already guessed that Suriya’s character, DSP Inbaraj, was blind in Scene. He responded, “It was actually not an assumption or fan theory; the news was leaked by someone. My first half was built around that reveal. It’s clearly divided into before and after the reveal. That was the structure, and I got really scared that something so crucial was leaked even before we revealed the first look. After the teaser was released, the audience began to wonder whether the news was right. It was quite difficult when that happened because we were so careful during the shoot.”
Talks about first song not being a hero elevation one
In October, the makers of Scene released the song Aathi Iva Yarraa from the film, which focused more on Nazirya's character. Given that Suriya was fresh off the success of Karuppu and Vishwanath & Sons, fans were expecting it to be a massy number focused on him. “We are not familiar with the concept of a hero elevation song. When people expected a hero elevation song, it confused me because that’s not my genre. We had a plan for the songs, but the negative response to that confused me. The expectation was something, and we gave something else. It’s risky, but my initial plan was to introduce Naslen first. Then Nazriya and everyone else. I wanted to reveal Suriya sir only a week before the film’s release,” said Jithu.
About Jithu Madhavan’s Scene
In Scene, Suriya plays DSP Inbaraj, a celebrated police officer with quirks that rub one of his colleagues the wrong way. When contract killer Easwaran, played by Naslen, piles up bodies, an old case is reopened. When Inbaraj’s carefully kept secret about his blindness comes out, he takes the help of Maya, played by Nazriya, and his parents to track down the murderer. According to the trade website Sacnilk, the film grossed ₹174.40 crore worldwide in five days. The film received good reviews from critics and audiences alike.