The vision had to be slightly narrowed: H Vinoth on the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on 'Valimai'

Vinoth clarified that the film's budget didn't shoot up due to the pandemic

Tamil star Ajith Kumar's latest movie Valimai was to hit the screens last year but that did not happen as its shoot was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. There were reports that the biggie's budget shot up due to the rescheduling, something that garnered a fair deal of attention.

During a recent interview with Cinema Express, director H Vinoth dismissed the rumours but acknowledged that the 'new normal' affected the project's scale. He revealed that the team filmed scenes that were originally to be shot with over 1000 bikes, with just a 100. The Shaturanga Vettai helmer, however, assured fans that the movie is still 'financially viable'.

Also read | 'Valimai' motion poster out: A treat for Ajith Kumar fans

Valimai, backed by Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor, is an action-thriller that features Ajith in the role of a bike expert-turned cop. It is inspired by a real-life event and caters to an urban mass audience. It is likely to feature several intense chase sequences at par with the one's seen in Hollywood flicks. The movie stars Huma Qureshi, who made her Kollywood debut with Rajinikanth's Kaala, as the leading lady. She, however, does not play Ajith's love interest in Vinoth's magnum opus. The cast includes RX 100 actor Karthikeya, V J Bani, Yogi Babu and Kannada actor Achyuth Kumar.

This marks Ajith's second consecutive collaboration with Vinoth and Kapoor. The trio collaborated for the 2019 release Nerkonda Paarvai, a remake of the Bollywood hit Pink. It featured the star in the role of a lawyer and highlighted that 'no means no'. The film did well at the box office while receiving rave reviews. It had an impressive cast that included Shraddha Srinath, Andrea Tariang, journalist Rangaraj Pandey and Vidya Balan. It remains to be seen whether Valimai lives up to the standards set by Valimai. Interestingly, the trio will reunite for another film after their latest movie hits the screens this January.