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Vellaikara Dorai’s producer Anbu was fondly called ‘ATM’ by some of the guests present. Thirrupathy Brothers’ Subhash Chandra Bose then cleared the air. “Anbu sir is the backbone of our company. He is a very nice and easy going person and doesn’t even bat an eyelid when someone exceeds the budget.”
Music composer Vijay Antony echoed the sentiment. He claimed that Anbu was his ‘personal ATM’ and a ‘great source of support’ for his acting career. “If Anbu sir wants, he can produce a thousand films in a year. He’s got great sources of wealth, almost unlimited,” he joked.
Actor John Vijay essays a role with ‘negative shades’ in Vellaikara Dorai. “I’m thankful to Ezhil sir for this opportunity. This is probably the only film where a lot of attention has been given to the stunts I do. They have choreographed it and all,” he declared, a little awed by his good fortune.
Vishal arrived at the event in a blue t-shirt, and apologised for his ‘azhukku sattai’. “I thought the event would have started by the time I came here and that I could sneak in unnoticed, wish Vikram Prabhu and sneak out. I am not dressed for this thing.”
He also felt that Vikram Prabhu had chosen the correct director, film and script to further himself in the Tamil film industry. “I’ve known Vikram for a while now and consider him a brother. I’ve been telling him for a long time to pick the best project to get to the B and C Centres in Tamil Nadu. With Vellaikara Dorai, I think he has done that. I can see the potential of this movie and predict that it will become a success.”
Actor Soori grew a little emotional when the event’s host called him an ‘Ezhil visuvaasi’. “It is very rare to see a director giving the same artiste so many roles in their films. I’m glad this has happened to me many times. Ezhil Anna gave me a break and made me more confident as a comedian.” He also related the story of his first meeting with the film’s hero. “I thought he’d throw his weight around and not mingle with me so much. But the first time I met him, he asked me to look out for him as this was a comedy film and ‘Vicky’ was a little unsure of himself at the time! He comes from the family that has produced such strong acting talents, and so I was awed by his humility.”
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Of all the films he has done, Vikram Prabhu enjoyed working on Vellaikara Dorai the most. “Other movies involved a lot of homework, and between scenes, I was working on getting the mood right. But for VD, I decided to consciously stay away from all that.” Producer Anbu had apparently told Vikram that signing him for this film made a long cherished dream come true. “Anbu sir told me that he’d always dreamt of making a film with our family. I was honoured by his obvious love and affection for us.”
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Ezhil wrote the script for this film at the Tiruchendur temple, and it was supposed to be produced by Madhan. “As Anbu sir was looking out for the right script, I went and met him. Initially, I assumed that this was just another Anbu sir film. It was only later that I realised this movie was his first project as producer.” He also claimed that Sri Divya acted as the unofficial public relations officer for the film. “Sri Divya popularised the story with important members of the industry and told all of them that it was a fantastic film. If we’d let her handle the PR work as well, we’d have a super duper hit on our hands.”
The director also assured everyone that the film will release this Christmas. “There are a lot of good projects releasing that day, but I’m confident that Vellaikara Dorai will hold its own.”
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