Actor Vadivelu may not be part of Imsai Arasan 24am Pulikesi, the sequel to 23am Pulikesi. The planned sequel did not take off due to Vadiveu’s differences with director Chimbu Deven and the film’s producer Shankar. Vadivelu recently signed another film with director Suraj, but reports say this film too will not go on floors because of the red card issued by the Tamil Film Producers’ Council.
According to a Maalaimalar report, Vadivelu recently announced that he plays the lead in Suraj’s film and that pre-production work has begun. The film was scheduled to go on floors in September, but producers are reportedly unwilling to back the project due to the TFPC ban on Vadivelu.
The actor has also been in talks with the 24am Pulikesi team to settle issues and get back on the project. As reported earlier, he was willing to apologise and pay a portion of the losses incurred. However, a source told Silverscreen today that discussions are still on, and the project may not take off with Vadivelu since he has demanded a huge salary. Shankar’s S Pictures is considering approaching other actors for the role, and some reports suggest that Yogi Babu may be offered the part.
In July, Vadivelu was condemned by directors in the industry when he said that 23am Pulikesi, his first film as a hero, was a success because of his involvement with the script, and he walked out of the sequel because of Chimbu Deven’s incompetence in consulting Shankar for changes to the story. Vadivelu said Shankar was a director who specialised in graphic-heavy films and his own movies did not require CG works. “I told Chimbu Deven you are the film’s director but if you will only listen to him then why can’t he direct the film? He then spread the word that I was asking for him to be removed, and made it a big issue,” Vadivelu said.
Chimbu Deven maintained the allegations were false and the script was registered with the Writers’ Union. Shankar’s production house did not respond to the comment.
Directors Samuthirakani, Suseenthiran and Venkat Prabhu came to the support of the directors and said they have the freedom to make these choices and Vadivelu’s comment was disrespectful. Director Naveen, who was Chimbu Deven’s assistant on 23am Pulikesi, said there no interference in the script from Shankar or anyone else on the team.
அண்ணன் வடிவாலு அவர்களின் நேர்காணல் பார்த்தேன். என் இயக்குனர் @chimbu_deven சாரை அவன் இவன் என்ற ஏகவசனங்களில் பேசியிருந்தார். சின்னபையன், சின்ன டைரக்டர், பெருசா வேல தெரியாத டைரக்டர் என்றெல்லாம் பிதற்றியிருந்தார், இவரை ஹீரோவாக வைத்து ஹிட் கொடுத்த ஒரே டைரக்டரை#T1#NesamaniStayInComa
— Naveen.M (@NaveenFilmmaker) June 8, 2019
The film was launched last year, but had to be stalled because of alleged problems caused by Vadivelu, whose demands included that the film should not have a big star cast.
The team shot for 10 days for which a huge set worth lakhs was put up at EVP Studios in Chennai. They faced losses and Shankar approached the TFPC. Vadivelu was reportedly asked to return his salary and pay Rs 9 crore for the losses incurred. When he did not meet the demands or reach a compromise, the TFPC decided that he will not star in any film made by its members, and the actor has received fewer offers since then.
