About Vithagan There is a lot to talk about Vithagan. To put it simply, you will be entertained and have a sense of fulfillment after watching the movie. And I request you to watch the movie in theatres and give it a grand opening like you would give a Vijay or Ajith movie. This I request you because I have not done any experimentation with this movie. It’s a commercial movie and only if such movies of mine are successful can I survive. And you can see me this happy.

Please give Vithagan a grand opening like an Ajith or a Vijay film

I envy Suriya

Did you train yourself for the cop’s role in Vithagan? For any other role, it’s not hard to train yourself. But for the role of a cop it needs a lot of groundwork. I beefed up for Aayirthail Oruvan and I had to tone down for Vithagan so as to look fit. Cops are often the butt of jokes because of their obesity. I did not want this character to be made fun of. I never cared much to get into the physical framework of an actor like Suriya. I envy him. His getups for 7aum Arivu are enough to make anybody fall in love with him. I did a lot of physical work for Vithagan and it helped a lot for the looks of the movie.

Tell us about Poorna

Rather than about Poorna, I would like to talk about Mercy – Poorna’s character in the movie. Mercy is a beautiful, soft-natured girl. She loves only Jesus with no complications in life. In her quiet life, my character (Rowdran) creates a ripple and she finds it difficult to come out of it. And there is a strong reason for that. You will not notice the age difference between my character and Poorna, which is substantiated with beautiful scenes. That will be one of the pluses of the movie.

So she follows him with her love but does Rowdran accept it? Rowdran’s commitment to work is as important for him as Jesus is to Mercy. But when the movie ends, everyone will fall in love with Mercy’s character. Poorna has done a tremendous job of it.

About Sneha’s role in the movie As far as I know, she has not done any part in the movie and I am the director. She was only at the audio release function. Before I offered the role to Poorna, I asked Sneha but she couldn’t do it. I like Sneha. She’s beautiful and can act well. Someday we will act together.

I like Sneha

When you kill the villain brutally, people love it

About Milind Soman and his character I often wonder how he’s capable of understanding his role so well and acting it when he doesn’t know a word in the language. I can’t do it. We made his life simple in the movie by making him speak similar Hindi words. We adjusted it in the dubbing. When you kill the villain brutally, people love it. They did it in Subramaniapuram and that’s the truth. Fans relate very well with the lead roles and when there is someone pitted against them, they hate them.

In Pudia Paadai, I decide not to take revenge on the villain because I had a small kid to consider. I am sure many people in similar situation would have thought about it after making a mistake. I have done a similar thing in Vithagan. Milind Soman has done a good job of it.

About musician Joshua Sridhar

He’s done a wonderful job. His tunes are very interesting to listen to even before we composed lyrics for them. I composed lyrics playfully for the Ikkuthae song and Joshua liked it. So we used the same lyrics. But for the Thananana song, he was skeptical. I convinced him saying those are the lyrics of a person who has fallen in love just then. So it worked and now it’s a popular song.

Your favorite song in the album I love the Unn Zone La song, which touches upon environmental issues. Actually, the producer is looking forward to receive national award for that one. I realized the significance of the song only after he told me about it. Yeah, an item dance number is essential for a movie but it’s pointless to have meaningless lyrics. But this song is different and has socially responsible lyrics, like how important it is to wear helmet on a bike and things like that. Joshua Sridhar has done a fantastic job of tuning the song. Please add me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and let me know how you liked the song.

An item dance number is essential for a movie

Best photography is not only about the techniques but also reading the script carefully

About cameraman M S Prabhu I have worked with him in Ammuvaagiya Naan. He is a tasteful cameraman. He comes with a notebook and is meticulous about his work. He pores through the script and corrects if there are any logical loopholes in the movie. He says that is necessary for him to decide on the lighting. So, best photography is not only about the techniques but also reading the script carefully.

About editor Anthony Like I said earlier in a function, Anthony even snips Thirukkural to make it crisper. His assistant Karthik worked entirely in the movie and after the work is done, he watched the movie and suggested some changes. I carried them out and I think they will be plus points for the movie.

Anthony even snips Thirukkural to make it crisper

I do not believe in the 50th film theory

This is your 50th film. Tell us how you feel about it I do not believe in the 50th film theory. It’s just a marketing technique of us, actors, to try and bring people to the theatres. I remember writing a tagline for the 50th day of my film Sarigamapadani, ‘Appada 50th day’. Balachander liked it a lot and wrote to me saying he understood the pain and relief behind those words. I did not grow in the industry with support or movies from acclaimed directors. Occasionally I get a Bharathi Kannamma or Azhagi. So under these circumstances, it’s a struggle to finish 50 movies and I do not think it makes a difference to the audience.

Why did you decide to call the movie Vithagan?

To be a policeman, you need to know a lot of tricks (Vithai). They need to be multitalented and know a lot of things. So I thought the title would be more appropriate for a policeman’s job and in that sense that title was decided.

Tell us about producer Manickam Narayanan He’s not only a good producer but also a good friend. Having heard about his good nature, I approached him for a financial help for my movie Kudaikkul Mazhai. He assisted me and although I repaid my money, our friendship continued. He trusted me with this film and he entrusted entire responsibility of this movie on me. Gautham Menon, who worked with him in Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu, wished me luck saying that he would like the movie to perform as well as Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu. That is my wish too.

Manickam Narayanan is not only a good producer but also a good friend

My son Raaki did a little cameo in the movie, a dance part

Family contribution My son Raaki did a little cameo in the movie, a dance part and daughter Keerthana also sort of doubled up as an assistant director when it was shot abroad. Although Raaki does not have interest in movies, he will decide about it after studying the reception of this movie.

What is the reason behind the movie’s delay?

We wanted to finish the movie in 6 months time. But unfortunately it did not happen for many reasons and in the interim, cinematographer Prabhu accepted other offers. So essentially, four cinematographers worked in the movie. Same with Assistant Directors; there were ten when we started and when we finished there was only one. Despite all these difficulties, the movie has sailed through and is releasing now. I hope it does well and bring in enough acclaim.

Your movies usually have humane touch to them. What does Vithagan have in that aspect?

My producer asked me the reason behind the solid love the female lead character has for my character. I told him its humanity. Women fall in love with a man not because of his looks. It’s beyond that. They fall for his character and his other attributes. There are also valid scenes to justify the strong love between the lead characters.

You have two getups in the movie. Tell us about it

Yes I come in two getups in the movie. Besides, it’s also to tease the fans to arouse their curiosity. Watch the movie when it releases and you will know all about it.