Vijay Speaks On 'Velayudham' & Its Highlights

As ‘Velayudham’ is gearing up for a Diwali release and the team is running from pillar to post as part of the promotional activities, IG caught up with Ilayathalapathy Vijay for an interview. Read on as Vijay gets candid and speaks on his role in Velayudham, clarifies reports on the much talked about Dookudu remake, his project with AL Vijay, his plans this Diwali and a lot more!

Excerpts from the chat with the ace personality…

How did this film with Jayam Raja happen?

I have watched all his films and I was supposed to work with him two years back itself under Sanguli Murugan sir’s banner. We missed out on it and he started off a project with his brother, Jayam Ravi. Then we met one day and he came with a one-liner on Velayudham which interested me so we started off with this project immediately. I asked him jokingly whether he will do movies only with his brother and not me and that’s how all this started off.

This is a commercial entertainer and you have delivered many time and again. But this is your first part superhero project, what’s special about it? What about the horse riding scenes?

Yes but this is not a superhero film with extra powers for the hero or something on those lines. 'Velayudham' portrays the hero somewhere between a common man and a superhero. Speaking on horse riding, actually I learnt horse riding quite a while ago, even before stepping into films. All the training is being of use to me now (smiles).

Most of your films highlight upon brother – sister bonding, but can we say your bond with Saranya forms the crux of this plot as she has reported in an interview?

No it definitely is not the crux of the film but can be called as one of the highlights in 'Velayudham'. No matter what, be it now or after many years, this is one relationship among our folk that will never change! It’s an evergreen something.

Speaking on stunts, are there other highlights apart from the train stunt sequence?

Tom Delmar did the train sequence and yes, much has been spoken about it to audiences already. Apart from this there’s a fight scene in a harbor which will definitely be a big highlight in 'Velayudham', I can assure it will be something very interesting to look forward to and something my fans will enjoy watching on-screen.

How true is it that there are 30 comedians?

Well, I can say that under Santhanam’s captainship there will 29 comedians. There’s a whole team of comedians itself that he heads so we have meant it in that way.

All your forthcoming films are with top-notch directors, Murugadoss, Gautham Menon and Shankar. We understand we'll be seeing a suave avatar of Vijay, but why haven't we seen this earlier?

To tell the truth, honestly, I have been approached by all these directors only now and I loved the scripts so I accepted them. It is not like I wanted to do these kind of films only now but these projects are coming my way only now and I am happy to accept them.

Are you doing Dookudu remake?

I watched the film, I really liked and enjoyed watching it but I am not doing the film’s Tamil remake.

Udhaynidhi has expressed he’ll watch 'Velayudham' first show. When will you watch '7aum Arivu'?

I will definitely watch it on Diwali, no doubts about that but I don’t know which show. I will watch '7aum Arivu', my film 'Velayudham' and 'Ra.One' on Diwali. How many ever films will release that day I will watch them all the very same day, no doubts. That’s how crazy I am about films (smiles).

No doubts we see a balance between Hansika & Genelia in trailers, but can you tell what will be the highlight?

The director has beautifully balanced between Hansika and Genelia’s character. There’s no way anyone can compare their characters since they are so different from one another. My scenes with both of them are like two different episodes to frame it rightly. However I must say that Genelia’s character plays a key role in my character seeing a change in the film, from that of a commoner to that of a superhero.

About your film with AL Vijay…

Yes we both are talking about it but it will take time, probably even two more years to go on floors! But there’s a lot of time for an official announcement on this front.

A recent Tamil film that Vijay enjoyed thoroughly…

'Kanchana'! My kids enjoyed this horror film so very much that when I’m home they’ll be enacting the scenes from the film to me!

Vijay expressed his Diwali wishes to his fans worldwide and IndiaGlitz visitors, hoping his fans will enjoy his Diwali gift to them, 'Velayudham'. Post your Diwali wishes to Vijay and expectations on 'Velayudham' in here and we'll make sure the star catches a glimpse of it.

Prabhas about Darling ......

Prabhas has struck gold with his latest film Darling. He looked cool, modulated his dialogue, danced like a pro and overall entertained family audiences in this Karunakaran flick. We caught up with him, and here’s what he had to say.

Inspiration to do a family entertainer like Darling:

I try to do something different, and when Karunakaran’s told his story, I was into it. I clapped out after listening to the twist in the first half. I was so much into it. Karunakaran told me the full story and I knew this film was going to be good.

On transition from past action films to lover boy in Darling:

Though we try to do something different all the time, there are various other things that have to work for us. It could be the character or the director or script. Luckily all worked for me this time. I didn’t do any preparation or homework for this character. But I knew that the character in Darling is a lot smoother and sensitive than those in my previous films.

We knew right away that the East Godavari accent that worked in Bujjigadu, or Billa won’t work here. But we had to entertain the audiences. So I worked on my timing more! Also I improved my body language. I am glad it worked.

On First Half twist: 

When I first heard the story there were no apprehensions at all. But when we started shooting we began to get doubts. But it was a good thing, as we worked harder. We knew that we were taking a risk with it, but when the first day reports came, I knew our efforts were appreciated. I guess working with the gut feeling works after all.

On the success of Darling: 

I was in Mumbai, when the film was released. Though you get used to it, there are some nerves on the first day. I was glad to know that fans were celebrating. On the first day, when fans party it’s more than success. The fact that family audiences are turning out well is another good thing about the film. It makes you feel satisfied.

On his cool look:

My childhood friend Bhaskar designed the look for me in Darling. We tried to portray the character as a cool going guy. My young fans seem to have loved it completely.

About his dance:

We worked according to director Karunakaran’s plan. He had this vision on how to shoot each song, and we planned our dances accordingly. I completely trusted Karunakaran when he said that it will be his responsibility to add visual beauty to each song.

About music by G.V. Prakash:

Whenever I hear Neeve Neeve song, am surprised with the ability of G.V. Prakash. This tune reminds me of A R Rahman, and for a 23 year old to do it, it is quite appreciable. Though, as an afterthought, we did think that we should have given the audio another week’s time to give its due credit.

Darling’s most memorable moments:

I thoroughly enjoyed doing the second half, and doing the climax song was extremely pleasurable experience. Also for a fight scene, I was running for quite a few days together. It was tiring, but when you see the final product, you know it was worth it!

Working with the producer BVSN Prasad:

It is our second hit after Chatrapathi. He’s a really sweet producer. Now he’s more than just producer for me!

Working with the director Karunakaran:

Karunakaran is an extremely talented guy. He gives us a lot of freedom, and he explains his vision very well. In some situations I blindly followed him. When there is freedom and love, there is scope for good work. Karunakaran ensures complete freedom to the actor.

Working with Prabhu:

He is an extremely talented actor. Knowing that he is son of a great actor, and he himself being a wonderful actor I was in the beginning very apprehensive. But he is exactly like the character in the film - very lovable person to work with. Our timing worked extremely well. He is roundish, and I’m tall. Without him the father-son scenes wouldn’t have been so good.

Feedback from Uncle Krishnam Raju:

Peda nanna was quite happy. He said he liked the film and appreciated my timing. Coming from him those were quite some words!

On forthcoming films:

There are two films lined up. There is one with Dil Raju and Dasharath, which again is a family entertainer. Then there is another one with S.S. Rajamouli.

Interview - Prabhas

Prabhas Interview in Maa Movies: Perfect-Hero part1

Part 1  

Prabhas Interview in Maa Movies: Perfect-Hero part 2

Part 2

Interview - Darling (Prabhas)

Talk Time with Young Rebel Star Prabhas part 1
Talk Time with Young Rebel Star Prabhas part 2
Talk Time with Young Rebel Star Prabhas part 3
Talk Time with Young Rebel Star Prabhas part 4