National Award winning director Vetrimaaran’s trilogy – Vada Chennai – has been made as an individual film. “I am treating this as an individual film and shooting it like that. We have completed the first schedule of 30 days, and I am in the process of editing them,” he said.
In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, the director also confirmed that Amala Paul would be replacing Samantha Ruth Prabhu as the female lead, putting to rest months of speculation.
Vada Chennai was planned as a trilogy from the very beginning, and is expected to be the first of its kind in Tamil cinema. While Indian directors in the past have resorted to making films like this – Satyajit Ray’s The Apu Trilogy began a trend of a continuous storyline and character follow-ups in films, they have been for the most part, sequels planned after the success of the original. Franchises like Singham, Muni, Golmaal are all notable examples of this trend.
Vada Chennai chronicles the life of a gangster in North Chennai, played by Dhanush, over a span of 30 years. Amala Paul has been cast as the female lead, while Andrea Jeremiah, Vijay Sethupathi essay supporting roles. Other members of the cast are Daniel Balaji, Samuthirakani, and Tamil film director Subramaniam Siva essaying the role of a gangster in the film.
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Meanwhile, Vetrimaaran’s Vada Chennai‘s first part is reportedly slated for a release sometime next year. Santhosh Narayanan will compose the film’s songs while Dhanush’s close associate, Velraj, has been roped in to handle the cinematography.
The film’s official announcements were made early last year but kept running into delays due to Dhanush’s other acting commitments. This is Dhanush’s third film after Polladhavan and Aadukalam under Vetrimaaran’s direction. Lyca Productions will co-produce the film along with Dhanush’s Wunderbar Studios.