The Couple Were Supposed to Enjoy Twilight on the Terrace: Kavin on the Climax of Dada

Spoilers Ahead...

The opening shot of Dada has Kavin's Manikandan peacefully sleeping and his girlfriend Sindhu (Aparna Das) resting her head on his chest. And cut to the climax; you see them lying in the same position on their office floor, along with their kid. As Sindhu and their son interact, Manikandan sleeps blissfully. The similar staging of the opening and closing shots, after the film takes one through a rollercoaster of emotions, give the audience a sense of completion. In a conversation with Krishna, Kavin reveals that the closing shot was initially different.

"The climax had both Sindhu and Manikandan go to the terrace and enjoy a private moment in the twilight." But during the shoot, Kavin wondered how it would be to see a person, who has gone through so much in a short span, sleep peacefully in the middle of the office, similar to the film's first shot. "Ganesh (Director Ganesh K Babu) and I discussed it, and the people on the set were also positive about the scene. Today, many people watching the film are comparing the two shots. So, I am personally very happy," says Kavin.

He further explains that the opening scene had an additional three-minute run time. "But we trimmed it based on how long the title credits were rolling. It was something we consciously designed. We were aware that some viewers might find the scene dragging. But we also believed that Manikandan's dialogue — He promises that he will make sure Sindhu never cries — and the immediate cut to the next scene where Sindhu is seen crying will get the attention of the audience," he says, adding that the background sound of a couple fighting was included at the time of dubbing to show the contrast in emotions. 

The actor donned two different looks in the film to show the change Manikandan undergoes as he grows from an irresponsible college student to a caring father. But locking the looks meant that Kavin could not work on other projects simultaneously. "There were many financial struggles in Dada. We thought we would finish the shoot in two months, but it took us close to nine months. In the meantime, I couldn't do any other project with the same get-up. So I had to wait till the shoot got over. But at the end of the day, besides these obstacles, it is about believing in the content," says the actor. 

Kavin explains that working on two different looks helped convey the change visually. He says, "In the first half of Dada, we wanted the audience to feel angry and dislike Manikandan's actions. It was only because they had that anger and frustration that we could turn things around. There was a change in how the audience perceived him after the orphanage scene, and we wanted to show that difference in the best ways possible. That's when we thought a change in the look would help convey it visually. I am trying different things because only if I start making efforts with my acting now will I see better results in the future."