What is very important in the film is the star cast. Karthik makes his re-entry into Tamil cinema after 6 years and I am working with him for the first time, a superb experience. He is a senior artiste and performing each scene with him elicits my best. He acts as my brother and we were like real brothers. We wanted to have big artistes to justify each role and spent a lot of time in casting, you will find a whole army of artistes - Anu Hasan, Dhanshika my heroine, my dad Vijayakumar, Prabhu, Chandrasekar, Riyaz Khan, Ilavarasan, Thyagu, Nizhalgal Ravi... Comedy will be a big plus as it’s a wholesome entertainer with action and comedy with veteran comedians like Santhanam, Ganja Karuppu, Manohar, and Singamuthu. We did a lot of pre-production and Santhanam even prepared his own scenes. Everyone was very involved and the comedy was so hilarious that even while working we were laughing. The fast-paced screenplay and direction is awesome. It will be a lovely treat and I guarantee you can watch it with family.

Maanja Velu is a commercial entertainer and like Malai Malai gave me a different look, this film does too. While making this film we did not target particular audience and we wanted it to be enjoyed by all. All departments did their best and I would like to thank all the technicians who put in their best, right from the dialogue writer to the lyricist, assistant director, director, cameraman, and a good package. This is a character I have never attempted before, one with a lot of emotion, family values and all elements of entertainment. I can bravely say the climax will be one that you have never seen before and when you leave the theater it will be a different experience.

How was it performing the action sequences?

I had lots of unforgettable experiences at the shooting spot. Fights were very important and we shot them for nearly 45 days, choreographed by Kanal Kannan. I never use dupes in any of my films for the stunts and have undertaken many risky stunts despite my parents and other advising me against it.

Today’s audience has accepted me as an action hero in Malai Malai and I want to do something new in action. For the introduction fight, I have totally shaved my hair for the first time; I have 2 getups in the film. For 7 days I had to hang upside down for a fight scene. Everybody knows that even if you hang upside down for a day, the blood will rush to the head and create pressure and when master told me, I said ok but while doing it I found it physically and mentally stressful but the output was really awesome and amazing. It will be a visual treat. There was a composition of 8 to 9 fighters and me hanging upside down to be filmed in one single shot. However once it was done, they removed the camera and forgot that I was hanging upside down 15 ft in the air until one of the fighters realized I was still there and they helped me get down.

What was your experience working with Karthik and Prabhu?

Working with Karthik was a gift as he is spontaneous and I had to do it carefully as I have watched many of his films as a fan keenly, he has excellent comedy senses and it was challenging to work with him. In one comedy sequence, we mock my girlfriend, I imitated my sister-in-law’s voice and he would speak like a sick man. The director was waiting to say cut, but Karthik improvised and continued dialogues that were not in the script and I responded. When we finished, there were claps all around and I am sure the audience will enjoy it.

I always had the regret that I never had the opportunity to work with Sivaji but working with Prabhu sir has made up. I have learnt a lot from him.

How did you feel after the Malai Malai victory?

Malai Malai was my first commercial hit and this is important to every actor to gain hero status and business increase. It brought me many fans who told me that they liked to watch me in such roles and said the action was super! I thank everyone who made it a success and while it was running I had the opportunity to visit 76 theatres and watch the film as part of the audience. I met fans and asked them their likes and dislikes. I am happy that fans appreciated me and gave me suggestions. They asked me to do a cop role. Before Malai Malai, I was a little confused about my career but with its success, people have shown me the action route.