Ready to fire

Diwali release

“I am waiting.” When Vijay uttered these words towards the end of the trailer of Thuppaki, which was launched recently, there was more than one meaning to it. For, no other Vijay movie in the past has undergone the struggles Thuppaki faced.

First, there was a strike by film workers which resulted in the halt of the movie’s shoot. Then came the case filed by the makers of a movie titled Kalla Thuppaki, who had alleged that the producers of the Vijay starrer had unlawfully named the movie as Thuppaki.

“The case robbed the peace away from the minds of Thuppaki’s producer, its director (A R Murugadoss) and of course, Vijay. Since the case was continuously being adjourned by the court for some months, there was a lot of uncertainty over the film’s release for Deepavali. The movie was even going to be renamed, to put an end to the legal dispute.
But, like the climax of any Vijay film, the case ended up in favour of Thuppaki,” says a source. And now, the movie is ready to hit the screens on Deepavali.

Going into the details of its cast and crew, Thuppaki has, for the first time, brought together Vijay and A R Murugadoss. Kajal Agarwal is the leading lady, while music is by Harris Jayaraj and cinematography is by Santosh Sivan.

“Vijay and I were thinking about working together for a long time. But things materialised only after I had completed 7aum Arivu,” says Murugadoss, who describes the actor as a thorough professional. Shedding light on Thuppaki, the director says, “The story will reflect the title and the film will be a complete treat not just for Vijay fans, but to all sections of the audience. It is about a youngster who puts an end to evil elements in his own way.”

“Vijay plays a Mumbai Thamizhan in the movie and he has to speak a few dialogues in Hindi. His command over the language was very good. Though Kajal Agarwal doesn’t know Tamil, she took pains to understand the dialogues and utter them with the right emotions. She is a hard working actress,” Murugadoss adds.

On his part, Vijay praises Murugadoss and terms him as ‘Kutty Mani Ratnam.’ “Murugadoss is a great storyteller and a fantastic filmmaker to work with. I have admired his hard work since his early days. He worked as an assistant director in Kushi.”

He adds: “Thuppaki will be a movie to cherish in my career and the story is something new for the Tamil audience. Along with my fans, I am eagerly expecting the movie’s release.”

After Nanban, Harris Jayaraj has scored music for a Vijay starrer for the second time in a year. He says: “The demands of a Vijay movie are huge since his fans would expect more from the songs. I have given my best to Thuppaki and am happy to know that the songs have been received well.”

He adds: “I was awestruck by the film when I watched it recently. Murugadoss has made it a racy entertainer that will surely strike a chord with the audience. Vijay’s power-packed performance will be the highlight of Thuppaki.”

Most parts of the movie were shot in Mumbai and sources have it that Vijay plays a military officer who discovers a plot to destabilise the country. “How he saves the nation from evil designs in brainy and brawny ways is the crux of the film,” sources say. Vijay is waiting. How about you?