Director Rathna Kumar on exploring love and self-discovery in his film ‘29’

“Who are you?” — this is the question a radio jockey poses to some 29-year-old men. They respond by stating their names. “No, that’s your name. Who are you?” she repeats. They now explain that they are chartered accountants, software engineers, and so on. ”But that’s your profession. Who are you?” One man responds that he is human, to which she says so is everyone else. “Who are you?” She then asks a young man, seemingly lost in thought, and he says: “I don’t know.” This is how writer-director Rathna Kumar teases the theme of his upcoming film, 29, in a promo.

“It is primarily a romance drama,” says Rathna, over a phone call. “But there are things beyond that — like self-discovery — which would connect with even those who aren’t that keen about love and relationships. It will be a film that will give you a lot of hope.” Rathna first wrote down the seed of this idea as a Facebook post long ago.