Malaysian-made Tamil film ‘Poochandi’ is making waves

While all of us were glued to the news streaming in from various sources leading up to the 15th general election, Netflix released a film titled “Poochandi” (bogeyman) on Nov 11.

In a blink of an eye, the Tamil language film became one of the top 10 trending films in the Malaysian, Singaporean and Indian markets.

Directed by Wickneswaren Kaliaperumal, better known as JK Wicky, “Poochandi” incorporated mythology, history, mystery, local touch and just the right amount of cringe-worthy moments to keep viewers of all races glued to the screen.

The story revolves around Murugan (RJ Ramana) who arrives from India to write stories about the supernatural for a magazine.

He travels to Nibong Tebal to meet Shankar (Tinesh Sarathi Krishnan) who lives in a shed next to a house with his paralysed friend Anbu (Logan Nathan).

This is also the scene of a tragic death believed to be caused by an angry spirit that they summoned while playing “spirit of the coin” using an old coin from Anbu’s collection.

However, Murugan thinks there is more to the story and travels to Penang to find the original owner of the coin, with Shankar and Anbu in tow.

What they find out leads to a bigger mystery and a very interesting lesson on Malaysia’s historical links to India - in ancient Kadaram (now Kedah).

Years in the making

Director Wicky, 38, who hails from Sungai Besi told Malaysiakini that the concept for the film was first developed in 2015 and it took two years of research and writing the script before they went into production in 2018.

The film then took 40 days to shoot.

“The film was ready by the end of 2019 and set for screening in May 2020. But the pandemic got it postponed, and we released it this year, on Jan 27. It ran for 43 days in cinemas. Now it is available on Netflix,” Wicky told Malaysiakini.

The film made RM800,000 during its run in the cinemas, which is commendable, given the circumstances.

It also became the third-biggest local Tamil language film in terms of box-office collections.

“The pandemic made the audience ready. The introduction of streaming services is a big opportunity to reach out to audiences who are reluctant to go to the theatre and watch it.

“In January, during the film's initial theatrical run, there was no competition from overseas Tamil movies so we managed to last longer in cinemas,” said Wicky.

The response was initially slow, but things picked up due to word of mouth.

Those managing some of the cinemas actually thanked them for bringing in the audience during the long lull period.

“We are happy to make RM800,000 and to achieve it with half occupancy restrictions in cinemas was a big challenge and achievement,” Wicky enthused.

The film was produced by Triumbakaa Sdn Bhd, and they also received a grant from Finas, which provides a support system for local feature film productions.

Roots in spirit ‘encounters’

Explaining the idea behind “Poochandi”, Wicky said: “My filmmaking friends spoke about their encounters with a spirit pretending to be a female ghost, mentioning unique things such as ' Thoppan’ and ‘Chokkan', which are ancient names of Hindu gods.

“We attempted a short film based on it, but it did not materialise. So years later, I developed it for the silver screen.

“Some elements of the story were created by me, especially the climax and the concept of ‘Poochandi’,” he added.

Wicky first became fascinated by Indian mythology when he was studying at San Peng Tamil School.

He has a Bachelor's Degree in Film and Animation from Multimedia University (MMU) and for the past 13 years, he has been working as a freelancer doing cinematography (“Ais Kosong”, 2016) and special effects (“Irul: Ghost Hotel”, 2021) in the local film industry before making his directorial debut with “Poochandi”.

“I enjoy horror flicks from all over the world. They are more like my case studies for upcoming film attempts as it is my favourite genre. Hollywood movies have always been my favourite in terms of all creature flicks.

“I all grew up watching Tamil movies from India all my life and I believe there is no escape from it.

“I’m a die-hard Rajinikanth fan. But as a filmmaker, a wise man once told me to enjoy films as an audience but never draw inspiration from them as they will not reflect you, only theirs.

“So I focus more on books, incidents and articles to inspire me.”

Among his favourite directors are Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar), Rajkumar Hirani (3 Idiots), Vetri Maaran and Ram Gopal Varma.

Many film critics say that horror films from India always suffer from a lack of imagination. A film may start well - but end on an abysmal note.

But “Poochandi” takes the audience to a different level as it incorporates mystery, horror and historical elements.

Wicky agreed with the assessment and said, “Their template in making horror movies is more like an amusement park, with all sorts of elements mixed up.”

He added: “I hate horror movies from Kollywood (India’s Tamil movie industry). However, the concept of horror and thriller has always been a boundary-breaking element for many moviemakers from Korea, Japan and Thailand.

“So, by staying true to the genre, we wanted to explore something more rooted in the Indian (Tamil) backdrop, so that it can reach a wider audience around the world.

“So we researched many Indian mythical terms and names of ghosts, spirits and demons that could be added into the movie.”

And Wicky’s team hit the jackpot with “Poochandi”, a story that connected history and myth - but set in a contemporary world.

“We made it clear that it should reflect the Tamils in Malaysia. So from scripting to acting, we tried to depict the accent and aspects of the lives here.

“This worked regionally for the audiences who could feel represented and reflected. Many people who saw the film said that the acting felt natural and truly Malaysian.

“Meanwhile, the overseas Indians reacted surprisingly by admiring the actors and backdrop of our country (the northern states captured in the film). Somehow, within the first 20 minutes, everyone started following the story,” Wicky explained.

Unlike most films that focused on KLCC and the front of Batu Caves with the giant statue of the Hindu deity Murugan, this film’s audience got to see small towns in Malaysia.

Big plans for the future

For now, Wicky and his partners are developing a science fiction story for their next feature film.

They are also developing an original film (also based on true events) for AHA, a streaming platform from India.

“This is a big thing as they are excited to work with Tamil filmmakers outside of India for the first time in telling stories about the Tamil community.”

The ending of “Poonchandi” left room for a sequel. Wicky acknowledges that by saying, “Even in the development stages, we could foresee the potential for sequels.

“By slowly reaching a wider range of audiences via Netflix, the hope for a second part is surely a dream come true for the team. But the cost and market capital will be a challenge to kick off the second part.”

He added: “So, to keep it grounded, we are planning on exploring a prequel idea for ‘Poochandi’ which can get into the flashback of how the anchor and ‘Poochandi’ ended up in Kadaram and also some origin story of the character, as well as Murugan.

“We are also planning on a mini-series, which can elaborate and explore the story in a more in-depth manner.

“For the time being, the plan is to work on it somewhere in the middle of next year.”

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