"This film is the closest to my heart" - Vijay Sethupathi - Event Story

The audio launch of Vijay Sethupathi’s latest film Pannaiyarum Padminiyum was held at a popular theatre recently and was attended by some distinguished guests such as directors Ram, Seenu Ramasamy, Karu Pazhaniappan along with Telugu hero Naani who sat beside the film’s cast and crew including Vijay Sethupathi, Jayaprakash, Tulasi, Ishwarya, Neelima and Attakathi Dinesh among others.

Speaking at the event Vijay Sethupathi said “Every film that I do is because I like it, but this film in particular is the closest to my heart. I never worried about the casting process because I believed that this story has an energy that will draw the right people and it’s proved correct as JP & Tulasi share a great chemistry. There isn’t a single negative character in this film and that’s been captured really well by Gokul with his framing.”

Naani said “I’m a fan of Vijay Sethupathi and I’ve watched all his films excepting his recent Idharkuthane. I decided to do this film in Telugu and produce it and initially it felt like I had bought an expensive lottery ticket but after watching the film in the dubbing theatre it turned out be a jackpot. There are 4 important characters in the film and you the audience would be the fifth one.”

Karu Pazhaniappan said he was reminded of his grandparents after watching the portions between JP and Tulasi while director Ram said he had never owned a car in his life so he never knew that feeling but he was happy to see a young filmmaker take up such a subject which is nostalgic. Seenu Ramasamy proclaimed that he had told people that Vijay Sethupathi had the talent of Vikram but since he wasn’t a big director then his voice went unheard. He believes that Vijay Sethupathi still works with the same dedication that showed during Thenmerkku Paruvakatru. Director Venkatesh announced that Justin Prabhakar was the new Ilayaraja of the industry.

Producer UTV Dhananjayan praised Vijay Sethupathi for being particular about not choosing films with heroism. Head of the Producer's Council KR raised the issue of there being a shortage of screens for small films which is also because of the number of films releasing in the industry every year. He felt that even good films are being removed when big films enter the fray. He said the solution lies in a licensing system which allows new multiplexes to come up in the State with the government’s help.

Talking about one of the central characters of the film played by him, Jayaprakash said that he had a passion for motors right from a young age and that could be one of the reasons why he could perform so well in this film. He went on to say that he had crossed the halfway stage of his life but he’s made young new friends through this film and a very special friendship with Vijay Sethupathi.

The director of the film Arun Kumar kept it short by thanking the producer for showing complete faith in him and his unit and also credited Vijay Sethupathi for being the back bone of the project. He had a special note of thanks to director Karu Pazhaniappan for being the first person from the industry to give him recognition after watching the original short film.

Music director Justin Prabhakar was really emotional and was short of words and thanked his parents and the late Vaalee for his contribution.