All Is Well…
He has been on a victory march in the
past year.After a lull in 2010, Vijay
bounced back with Kaavalan, a remake
of the Malayalam hit, Bodyguard, in
January 2011. The assortment of
sentiment, romance and comedy went
down well with viewers and Vijay was in
the saddle once again. Then came
Velayudham that re-instated him as an
unassailable action hero. The two films
helped him stay put at the top.
The year also saw international
recognition come Vijay's way for the
first time — Kaavalan was selected for
screening in the Panorama section at
the prestigious 14 Shanghai
International Film Festival. Two
hundred films among 2500 entries
from 80 countries were chosen and
Kaavalan found a place among them!
Also, he signed on the dotted line to
team up with big film makers, viz.,
Shankar, A. R. Murugadoss and
Gautam Vasudev Menon. The films
should roll out one after the other. The
first will be Shankar's Nanban, a Pongal
bonanza from Ilaiya Thalapathi. Vijay
should be a happy man. “I am,” is his
pithy reply.
Presently camping in Mumbai for
Murugadoss' Thuppaaki, when I text
him for a suitable time to talk, Vijay calls
up right away! And for the first time in
more than half-a-dozen face-to-face
interactions and an equal number of
telephone conversations I've had with
the rather taciturn actor, I get glimpses
of his sense of humour and wit.
Though the opening refrain was the
usual, “What -can- I-say- about-my-film ”
line, a little prodding makes me realise
that adverse comments about his pre-
release exchanges early in his career
have irked him no end. “I've had my
share of brickbats and they've made
me cautious. Frankly, my promises
could appear tall. And after the release
people could think the film didn't live
up to the hype. So what's the point?”
Yet in an industry where feverish ad
campaigns and promos in every form
are imperative, can he eschew them
completely? “I can't . Have I not called
you up? I know publicity is a must.
Only that after a point I want my films
to do the talking,” he demurs.
Standing ovation
I temporarily shift focus to his visit to
the 14 Shanghai International Film
Festival as a guest of honour in June
last, and the actor unwinds. It was the
first time a Vijay film was screened at a
film fest. “Rekhs, the co-ordinator for
South Indian movies for international
film fests, was instrumental in sending
Kaavalan to Shanghai. She had done
the subtitling too,” he informs. The
experience must have been new to
him. “Very, I was dressed appropriately
in a three-piece suit for the occasion,
but very tense. I sat with the audience,
most of them Chinese, for some time.
Then I decided to wait outside. I could
make out that they were enjoying
Kaavalan. Later when the film turned
serious, there was silence. And I was
overwhelmed by the standing ovation
at the end. The reaction was very much
similar to what I'd seen, say, at
Sathyam Cinemas! As they came out,
they congratulated me, sought my
autograph and throughout the
interaction addressed me as
‘Bhoominathan,' my name in the film!
‘Great job, Bhoomi,' they went on.
That's when I realised language is no
barrier to understanding emotions.
And with the smattering of English I
know, I responded, ” laughs Vijay.
In all our conversations Vijay never fails
to spell out his limitations as he sees
them. “Come on, don't give me that
line. Not wanting to converse in English
is far different from not being able to,”
I reply. He smiles.
Now I change tack to Nanban, his next.
He's an ace dancer. Did Ileana, his
heroine, find it tough to keep pace with
him? “Her footwork is amazing. I was
the one who had to watch out, ” that's
his modesty at work again!
Remakes aren't new to Vijay. He's done
many, and successfully too. But Vijay
replicating Aamir Khan is a surprise! “I
had watched Three Idiots with my
family at Mayajaal and enjoyed it to the
hilt. But never did I think I would be
part of its Tamil trip. When the offer
came my way, I was sceptical and told
director Shankar so. ‘This kind of film is
new to me too. But I'm sure you'll be
apt for the role,' he said.”
A dream come true
“It was a great experience. Most of the
shooting was at Dehradun and it was
fun working with Srikanth and Jiiva.”
Vijay had known Srikanth even earlier.
“But I got to move with Jiiva only
during Nanban, and we hit it off
instantly.” Satyaraj dons the role that
Boman Irani so effectively portrayed in
Three Idiots. “Every hero here yearns
to work with Satyaraj playing the anti.
I'm glad Nanban fulfilled my desire,” he
says.
Not only 2011, by the looks of it the
year that's just dawned should be
equally engaging for Vijay. Following
Thuppakki should be Gautham
Menon's action franchise, Yohan.
“Let's save that for our chat later,” he
laughs.
Though a remake, Shankar has vested
Nanban with his typical touches. “The
‘Asku Laska' number is a situation you
don't find in Hindi,” Vijay informs and
suddenly remembers he doesn't wish
to say much. “You make me divulge
more than I intend to,” he laughs. “The
audience should come to the film
without any expectation. I don't wish
to create any hype.” The catchy
numbers of Nanban, courtesy Harris
Jeyaraj, are chartbusters. This is his first
score for a Vijay film. “But he's given
the music for my ad campaigns,” says
Vijay.
“Most of us have watched Three Idiots.
Yet, thanks to Shankar, viewers should
find Nanban fresh,” he pauses and
adds with a chortle, “See, there I go
again …”
