Quotation Gang, the upcoming Tamil film starring actors Priyamani, Jackie Shroff, Sunny Leone, and Sara Arjun, will be a hyperlink crime drama, director Vivek K tells Silverscreen India.
A set of first-look posters from the movie were released on social media on Wednesday. Quotation Gang is produced by Vivek under his Whistleman Films banner in association with Filminati Entertainment.
Vivek, who is also helming the upcoming Arun Vijay-starrer Boxer, says about Quotation Gang, “It is a psychological thriller and a crime suspense movie. It does have love, action, and sentiments, but more of betrayal and the darker emotions. It is essentially a dark and gritty film.”
The filmmaker, who has also written the script, adds that the hyperlink movie does not have a hero or villain, but “a lot of characters facing various situations in their own worlds.”
He reveals that the film is inspired by the book Mafia Queens of Mumbai by Hussain Zaidi, which was, incidentally, the basis of the recent Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi. “I had read the book 10 years back and I had the idea behind Quotation Gang for a long time, for seven years. The book contained accounts of female dons, which I found interesting, but there were no mentions of any South Indian women in it. Later, I came across an article on quotation gangs (contract killers) in Kerala and that sparked the idea for my story. I originally wanted to make it as a female-centric film, but eventually, it became a multi-starrer with the current cast. ”
This cast includes actors from different film industries and the film marks the return to Tamil cinema of Priyamani after the 2012 Tamil-Kannada bilingual Charulatha. She plays a contract killer in Quotation Gang and Vivek calls her the “soul of the film.” He adds, “I still see her as relevant to the industry and I see her as an Indian actress. She has an authentic Indian face and she has put a lot of effort into this film.”
Speaking about the other actors, the director says that Shroff plays a gang lord, while Leone essays a housewife. He notes that the latter is a “very positive role.” Sara Arjun, known for her performances as a child artist, will be playing a disturbed teenage girl. “You won’t see the actors as you are used to seeing them so far,” the director adds.
Actor Jayaprakash also plays a prominent role in the film and Vivek says that since it’s a hyperlink movie, there are several other characters, and the actors who essay them will be revealed later.
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Quotation Gang went on floors about a year and a half ago in Mumbai, and was also shot in Kashmir and Chennai, with cinematographer Arun Bathmanaban helming the camera and Jayakumar Srinivasan handling the art direction. The film was wrapped up at the end of March and is currently in post-production. KJ Venkatramanan is taking care of the edits.
“It will take about six months to complete the film and we will be looking to release it in theatres sometime in the latter half of 2022,” says Vivek, adding that they are toying with the idea of releasing it pan-India.
Asked about his other film, Boxer, Vivek says it is a sports drama and the shooting is currently underway. Aside from Arun Vijay, it also stars Anurag Kashyap and Ritika Singh, among others.