Why Boomathiya Regai became Ayan?

As Ayan’s release date is drawing closer, Suriya convened a press meet at Hotel Greenpark at 8.30 p.m on Saturday, March 28, 2009. The press interaction also had director K V Anand and actor Jegan flanking Suriya. The meet was meant to provide a heads-up on the movie which is ready to hit the screens on April 8.

On how Ayan came into existence, Suriya stated that Anand had plans to direct the movie with another lead

until he heard it. “The moment I heard the storyline, I knew I had to do it. I insisted that he develop the plot for me,” Suriya said. “My character is called Deva in the movie, who is a rustic Chennai-Tamil speaking man. Equally important is the role of Jegan, which is called Chitti. Inspired by the potential of Jegan’s character I almost picked it for myself. However, the character required finishing touches if I had to do it and hence we decided Jegan will be best option,” he declared.

Of the requirements for the movie, the one he found tough was the Chennai-Tamil slang. “That is when the director came in handy. He trained me on the slang and I mastered it,” he revealed. Ayan was to be called Boomathiya Regai, however, owing to the crispness of the title, the name was selected later.

Suriya also revealed the Censor Board’s uncertainty in certifying the movie. “After viewing the second part, the officials were perplexed about the movie’s rating since the movie deals with a unique subject untouched by other filmmakers. It deals with the current economic scenario that is prevailing in India. Every Indian faces such a situation that is portrayed in the movie,” he added.

The crew has visited Malaysia, Zimbabwe and Namibia among other countries and Suriya fondly reminisced his experiences terming them ‘lovely’. He also revealed that he was smitten with his female lead Tamannah’s talent and hard work. “She is a Sindhi speaking girl. But she mugged all the Tamil dialogues up and used them without any prompts,” he said.