Actor Gautham Karthik, Vishnu, Actress Priya Anand and Vishakha Singh in Oru Oorla rendu Raja Audio Launch Event Stills
Silverscreen goes to the OORR audio launch
The audio launch event of Oru Oorla Rendu Raja wasn’t just about Vimal and Soori, who play best friends in the film. It was also about actresses Priya Anand, Vishakha Singh, and Iniya (who makes a special appearance). Their obvious affection for each other led more than one guest to remark that the movie should have been called Oru Oorla Rendu Raani.
And, as always, UTV chief Dhananjayan G summed it up quite well. “Priya Anand and Vishakha seem to have had the best of times together. I wouldn’t be surprised if their chemistry works better than that of Vimal and Soori!”
Vimal, though, had more serious issues to address. He lamented the fact that his co-star Soori seemed to be a favourite with the ladies. All Tamil actresses, to be more specific. “Soori will be the first person the set, and as soon as Priya Anand walks in, he will monopolise her. He does this with every actress. We men are a little annoyed by this,” he claimed with a mock frown. Vishnu Vishal reiterated, “I have known Soori from his Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu days, and he would do this even then. He began with Saranya Mohan, and in a span of five years, he’s the best friend of every actress here. They all think he is cute and sweet. It’s a major irritant!”
He also declared that Soori has started taking fitness seriously. “I don’t know what’s going on, but for the last few months, a personal trainer has been visiting Soori on the sets of Jeeva. I think he’s bulking up to become the next hero. In OORR, he gets a star billing, so turning a hero is not a far dream.”
And, Manobala, employing his trademark poker-faced humour, replied: “Soori, nammellam gym pona, gym ennardhu?”
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While Priya Anand and Vishakha Singh spent their time on-stage catching up, or so it seemed to us, they did express their admiration for each other eloquently. Speaking first, Vishakha thanked her friend for recommending her for the ‘small yet powerful role’ in OORR. “Priya is such a beautiful girl, inside and out. I’m really thankful that I got to be a part of this project, and to work with Priya again. It was truly a blessing. Watch out for the Sundari Pennae song in the film…it’s a lovely melody and we had a lot of fun filming it.”
Priya Anand, on the other hand, took a little while to get down to business. For she had a long time wish to fulfill. Grabbing the mike from the event’s host, Priya revealed that she had always wanted to …pinch D Imman’s cheeks. Which prompted Manobala to comment, “Imman looks like the Murphy Baby. It’s only natural that people want to coo over him, because he looks very sweet and cute.” Imman, to his credit, did make some unsuccessful attempts to evade Priya Anand, but in vain. The deed was done, and it was an immensely satisfied Priya who finally spoke about the film. “Working on OORR was like being on vacation. Soori and Vimal were fun to work with, and so was Vishakha.” She had also found a cool friend in Iniya (who grooves to the song Kukkuru Kukkuru in the movie).
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Siva Karthikeyan and Vijay Sethupathi, who were on strict orders to keep their speech short, entertained the audience with their comments. Siva Karthikeyan narrated a ‘cheek pinching incident’ of his own from his past. “Sometime back, on the sets of a television show, a young girl pinched my cheek. Imman sir, on seeing it, called me up, and had a lot of fun at my expense. So I feel a little better now that the same thing has happened to him. Indha kannathukke killinaanga na…appo andha kannatha viduvaangala?” he joked. Vijay Sethupathi claimed that he was in awe of Vimal’s talent. “When I was a struggling actor, I used to go watch Vimal’s films and his plays. He’s got immense talent and I still find it really surprising that he manages to stay grounded despite his star status. He has not changed even a bit.”
Soon enough, the audio was launched, and it was time for the next show to begin. With only five minutes to spare and about 20 celebrities to be escorted out of the theatre, producer Michael Rayappan was a very busy man indeed. But he still did find some time to thank all his guests. “I will never forget the trouble you all went to, to attend this event. You did this for me, Vimal, Priya Anand, and director Kannan. You’re not guests. You’re family.”