Maanaadu is all about the face-off between the characters played by Silambarasan and SJ Suryah, said director Venkat Prabhu at the pre-release event of the film which took place in Chennai on Thursday.
Also starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, Daniel Annie Pope, YG Mahendran, SA Chandrasekhar, and Premji, in pivotal roles, Maanaadu is produced by Suresh Kamatchi.
The film was initially scheduled for release on Diwali, but later opted out of the race. It will now release on November 25.
Speaking at the pre-release event on Thursday, Venkat Prabhu revealed that he had first narrated only the idea of the film, which revolves around a time loop, to Simbu instead of the whole story. “I told him it would be called Silambarasan’s Maanaadu. More than that, he liked that his character was named Abdul Khaliq. The toughest characters to play in this film are those of Suryah and Simbu, since they have to do the same thing repeatedly with some variations,” the filmmaker added.
Recalling a seven-minute scene that involves both the actors, Venkat Prabhu said he turns teary-eyed every time he watches it. Praising the performance of the duo, the director added that the scene was also elevated by Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music.
Simbu, who was last seen in Eeswaran, said, “When Venkat Prabhu narrated the storyline, I liked it. It was about the character Abdul Khaliq and how a community is blamed for something. I accepted it for that reason. The time loop concept was a difficult one to shoot.”
Thanking all the cast and crew members, the actor got emotional about the “problems he faced” and requested the support of his fans. It is worth noting that Silambarasan’s parents had earlier expressed anguish at the film’s postponement and alluded to similar issues being faced by their son for each of his releases.
Meanwhile, at Thursday’s event, director-turned-actor Suryah, who plays the antagonist of Maanaadu, got a rousing reception when he uttered a line from the film: “Vandaan, soottaan, sethaan, repeat.” He also mentioned that he has dubbed for himself in Telugu and added that the film’s story is “international stuff.”
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Speaking about his upcoming projects, Suryah said that he will be playing the lead in the upcoming films Kadamaiyai Sei and Bommai, while he essays the antagonist in Maanaadu, Don, and an untitled web series. He added that all these projects will release by April 2022.
Producer SR Prabhu, who also attended the event, mentioned that Venkat Prabhu had the idea of Maanaadu even as he was helming Karthi-starrer Biriyani in 2013. “Actually, Biriyani’s story was developed on the sidelines of this story. Given he has travelled with this idea for almost 10 years, he must have worked in many different angles and I am sure the film will be a success,” the producer added.
Others present at the event included veteran filmmakers Bharathiraja and SA Chandrasekhar, actors Mahat Raghavendra and Premji, and editor KL Praveen.