‘Tamil Rockerz’ will explore digital piracy, say Arivazhagan and Vani Bhojan

If there is something that the film fraternity dreads, it is Tamil Rockers. A piracy website that facilitates illegal distribution of movies online, it has left producers and distributors in a state of confusion. For, they would ideally want audiences to watch movies on the big screen.

But, how exactly does Tamil Rockers operate, and how does it get a film copy barely hours after its release? Or worse, even before its official release?

Upcoming web-series,  Tamil Rockerz, hopes to throw light on that. “We’re all from the industry. We know the pain people go through because of this website,” says director Arivazhagan, who has earlier helmed films like  Eeram and  Kuttram 23.

Written by Manoj Kumar Kalaivanan and produced by AVM Productions,  Tamil Rockerz follows the journey of a police officer, played by Arun Vijay, who has to combat the notorious piracy group during the release of a much-anticipated film. The web-series not only tells the story of the film industry, but also delves into the emotions behind the people involved with it.

Even today, despite the influx of multiple OTT platforms where films are released legally, Tamil Rockers continues to play havoc.

Adds Arivazhagan, “We’re also showcasing the techniques used by the team at Tamil Rockers to get the print and upload them, which many sections of the audiences have been watching in the last few years. There should be considerable interest in that.”

Vani Bhojan stars as a cybercrime expert who helps the protagonist in cracking the mystery. But there is a human angle in her character, she adds. “MS Bhaskar, who plays a film producer, plays my father in this. As it showcases the travails of my father, I feel every daughter out there will connect with it,” says Vani.

For Arivazhagan,  Tamil Rockerz is special as it marks his entry into the OTT space. Comparing this with the feature film format that he has been used to since his debut film  Eeram (2009), the director explains, “With a web-series, the entire screenplay pattern changes. While making a feature film, the entire storyline has to revolve around the protagonist and the antagonist, and all other characters have to be written in relation to them. But, that’s not the case with the web-series format; we can concentrate on sub-plots, and give each character enough screenspace,” says Arivazhagan.

Tamil Rockerz  will stream on Sony Liv from August 19

Graphic: Albert Francis