‘NOVA’ — A Tamil Film That Questions Time, Science and the Unknown
Produced by Royal Fortuna Creations and featuring Raiza Wilson, Dhruva, Adhivathi Shetty, Senrayan, Hrithika Biswas and “Finally” Swathika, ‘NOVA – Phase One: The Arrival’, directed by Milo, is gearing up for its theatrical release.
The title itself is intriguing. When asked about it, director Milo says that instead of following the familiar path of ghosts, haunted bungalows and revenge stories that usually define horror films in Tamil cinema, he has attempted to create a distinctive world that brings together time, human memories, science and fear.
The screenplay of NOVA is one of its biggest highlights. Rather than giving the audience immediate answers, the narrative is designed to keep raising questions throughout the film.
“This film should not be viewed merely as a horror film. It uses fear as a medium to tell a larger mystery. Our intention is to ensure that audiences walk out of the theatre with a few questions still lingering in their minds,” says director Milo.
One of the biggest visual challenges in NOVA was ensuring that sunlight would not appear in any scene of the film.
For this very reason, the team waited for dark clouds to gather before filming several sequences.
The 32-day shoot came with its own set of challenges, particularly due to the demanding natural surroundings.
According to Milo, the entire film was shot in a mountainous village in Kerala, and even reaching the shooting location itself was a challenge.
“Getting to that location was extremely difficult. The terrain was so challenging that there were days when someone would get hurt. But that was the location the story demanded. So, from the actors to the technical crew, everyone worked extremely hard,” says Milo.
There was only one reason behind all these difficulties — to ensure that the world created on screen never felt artificial.
A Screenplay That Doesn’t Spell Everything Out
Another distinctive aspect of NOVA is the director’s strong belief in the intelligence of the audience.
“The film needs to be watched very carefully from beginning to end. Because I have immense faith in the audience, I have deliberately avoided spelling everything out,” says Milo.
As a result, every small scene, every dialogue and even every character’s look could have a purpose.
The team has consciously chosen not to reveal the film’s central mystery.
Because in NOVA, certain truths are not meant to be told to the audience… they are meant to be discovered by them.
According to Milo, NOVA cannot be confined to a single genre.
Ghosts, demons, science fiction, the supernatural, space and different periods of history — the film brings together several distinct worlds and connects them in unexpected ways.
The team also reveals that several actors from outside the state have played important special appearances in the film.
However, none of these details have been revealed in a way that would give away the film’s crucial secrets.
“If we reveal everything about the film in advance, the experience of watching NOVA would change completely. So, certain things have to be discovered by the audience themselves inside the theatre,” says Milo.
Raiza Wilson’s character in NOVA is also said to be unlike anything she has portrayed before.
Most notably, her character does not have a single dialogue in the film.
Yet, without words, she creates the presence of the character through her eyes and body language, says the team.
“You will see Raiza in a completely different way in this film. She has no dialogue at all. But her eyes themselves will communicate a lot,” says Milo.
Director Milo is unwilling to reveal too much about the plot of NOVA.
And the reason is understandable.
The film’s greatest strength lies in its mystery.
Is it a science-based film?
Is it supernatural?
Or is it something beyond our imagination?
“Certain truths in NOVA are not meant to be told to the audience; they are meant to be discovered by them.”
–John PRO
