On Thursday, 12 March, the media assembled to interact with the cast and crew of the Zee5 original web series Kannamoochi due for release tomorrow. Director Mysskin, who was invited as a special guest for the event, took to the stage to talk about… the controversy around Thupparivaalan 2 with actor Vishal.
On Wednesday, both Mysskin and Vishal sparred through letters on Twitter. It was reported that Mysskin had pulled out of the film owing to budget issues in February. They were seen arguing over the film once again.
Mysskin addressed a letter to Vishal’s production house, Vishal Film Factory, stating that the company is required to fulfill his demands in order for him to come back on board as director for the film. It included a demand for five crores without GST as salary, the claim for IPR over the titles and character names, authority to sell the Hindi remake rights to any given person and to select shooting locations, the right to drop the project in case of infringement or any harm caused to the psychological well-being of the team and more.
Director Mysskin’s conditions & demands regarding #Thupparivaalan2 are here. He sent it as a letter to @VishalKOfficial, who has now taken over as the director of the film. #Thupparivaalan2FL poster this evening. pic.twitter.com/jIeQl8uZrC
— OverSeasRights.Com (@Overseasrights) March 11, 2020
In response to this, Vishal put out a statement saying he was perplexed as to why he was put in such a position for merely pointing out the mistakes of the director. He said that the director was insistent on scripting in Canada and made the production shell out crores of rupees for an output that did not conform with the expenses incurred.
He added that the statement was made to keep producers, especially new ones, aware of what he went through and to not be tricked into such things. He also said he didn’t want to tarnish anyone’s reputation through this statement and went on to unveil the first look poster of Thupparivaalan 2.
The sole purpose of the statement is not to tarnish one’s image but is only to make sure that nobody falls prey to such people especially Producers
Seeking your blessings & wishes for my directorial debut & hoping to do the best as a Director#Thupparivaalan2 #VishalDirection1 pic.twitter.com/5CnGYlmsrD
— Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) March 11, 2020
Yesterday, Mysskin told the press that he’d looked upon Vishal as his brother and helped him out whenever he was in trouble but ended up being insulted and falsely accused. He had apparently agreed to help him settle his debts, accumulated due to a series of failures, by writing a script revolving around the Kohinoor diamond which ended up being Thupparivaalan 2.
“I told him he wouldn’t be able to accommodate this film given the amount of debt he held and said we’ll shoot that script for the third installment. I even suggested we write a Chennai based ten-crore budget script for the second installment. But he refused to listen to me and insisted we go ahead with the Kohinoor one for the second installment. Agreeing to his decision, I decided to base the story in the United Kingdom and borrowed 7.5 lakhs for the process. I have only used up seven lakhs of the amount and not what he claims. If one spends 35 lakhs on the writing process, he is clearly not fit to be a director,” said Mysskin.
He added that he wanted proof for the figures published in the statement and the transaction details between the production company ‘Putlur Amman’ established in the UK and VFF. He also hurled abuses at the actor (which was strangely welcomed by the audience). He even spoke of incidents that took place during Producer Council elections.
The director also claimed that Vishal and his crew had verbally abused his mother and hit his younger brother. “He stood outside my office for 10 days imploring me to give the script and NOC (Non-objection certificate). If I had submitted it to the respective councils, the poster wouldn’t have been unveiled on Wednesday. I even helped with his Chakra but he has spoken ill of me. I told him earlier that actors Nandaa and Ramana would abandon him on the streets and that’s exactly what took place. That’s why the film came to a halt,” said Mysskin.
He added, “I was the only person in Tamil Nadu protecting him. But now I have to protect the entirety of Tamil Nadu from him. I don’t have to fear if I don’t get a producer. I’ll always have stories to tell.”
Mysskin concluded his speech with a warning to actor Vishal. “I want Vishal to know that this is just the beginning of big trouble. His tricks aren’t going to work with me and he’s going to have sleepless nights. If he’s got a little dharma on his side, I openly invite him to wage the Kurukshetra war against me,” he said.
mysskin-2
The first look poster of Vishal starrer Thupparivaalan 2 was released on Wednesday. The sequel to Mysskin‘s 2017 Thupparivaalan is being helmed by Vishal, marking his directorial debut and is also being bankrolled by his Vishal Film Factory which commissioned several of his previous films like Kathakali, Irumbu Thirai, and Sandakozhi 2.
The poster features Vishal in London. He is seen in an beige trench coat, covering his face with his hat whilst holding an umbrella in his other hand.
thupparivaalan-2-vishal-poster
Vishal took to Twitter to unveil the poster.
Proudly Presenting the First Look of #Thupparivaalan2 #KaniyanPoonkundran & #Mano back in action again, this time, “Hunting in London”#Thupparivaalan2FL #VishalDirection1 pic.twitter.com/BFQ5GLpbki
— Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) March 11, 2020
While Lovely Singh is believed to be playing the female lead in the film, actors Prasanna, Ramana, Nandaa, Gautami, Adithya Menon, Munna, and Rahman have landed important roles. Cinematography is by Nirav Shah and Ilaiyaraaja is composing music for the film.
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Thupparivaalan, an action-thriller, dealt with two detectives Kaniyan Poonkundran and Manohar played by Vishal and Prasanna respectively, who encounter a dangerous hitman while investigating the disappearance of a kid’s pet dog. Vinay starred as the antagonist, and Anu Emmanuel, Andrea Jeremiah played important roles.
Though reports that the film was heavily inspired by the Sherlock Holmes novel came in, the film was well appreciated by critics and audiences. “Everyone gets inspired by something or the other. Edgar Allen Poe came up with the first detective story and then came Sherlock Holmes. There is a thin line between inspiration and plagiarism,” said Mysskin in a statement. He added that only Vishal and Prasanna’s characters were inspired from the novel.
Read: Thupparivalan Review: Sherlock Holmes For The Tamil Audience
Watch the trailer of Thupparivaalan here.