Vijay Interview on Thirupachi

Behindwoods Monday, January 17th, 2005 In the midst of the busy shooting schedule of Sachein, actor Vijay talks about Thiruppachi which was released on January14. Question: Do you think that Thiruppachi will do well? Vijay: I strongly believe that Thirupachi will be a hit film for me. This film has sentiments, romance and action mixed in the right proportion. Question: How do you differentiate your other films like Thirumalai, Ghilli, Madurae from Thirupachi? Vijay: Usually, my films have a common formula, but this film has something different. You won't be satisfied with my answer to this question unless you yourself watch the movie and compare it with my other films. Question: Comment on the fight sequences in Thirupachi? Vijay: You wouldn't have come across a fight sequence as in Thirupachi in any other films. Of course, it is going to be praised by all and the credit goes to the producer and the stunt master. Question: Do you believe that luck is on your side? Vijay: I believe in my work. I try to perform well without even committing small mistakes. Whether luck is on my side or not, I see that my producers don’t burn their fingers. This film is produced by R.B.Chowdry who fetched me hit films like Poovey Unakaga, Thulladha Manamum Thullum. I believe that Thiruppachi will also be a hit film for me. Question: How was your experience working with director Perarasu. Vijay: He is a talented person. He talks very less but he shows everything in his work. He acts before me, scene by scene, before the take is on. Director Perarasu helped me to perform well in this film. I am sure that director Perarasu will soon find a position in the famous young director's list. Question: Are you satisfying your fans? Vijay: Yes. I hope so. I am always giving them what they need from me in my films. If their expectations are more, then I would work hard and satisfy them. Question: Please comment about Sachein? Vijay: The shooting of the film has started and I will let you know more about it after sometime. Question: Did Tsunami affect your mind? Vijay: A tragedy like this should not have taken place. I felt very much for the victims of Tsunami. I participated in the Tsunami fund raising program organized by the Film industry. Personally, I gave a cheque of Rs.2 lakhs in favor of Chief Minister’s Tsunami Relief Fund.

Thirupachi, Jan 14th, 2005

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2005/01/21/stories/2005012102510201.htm

"Thiruppachi" ... a complete commercial fare.

AFTER MADHESH'S "Madhuray" it is Perarasu's "Thiruppachi" (U/A) - but Vijay is the same, performing incredible stunts and scaling superhuman heights with the ease of a typical commercial hero.

A fiesta for Vijay fans from the house of R. B. Choudhry, this Super Good Films' production could prove a money-spinner, but does it have something for the level headed filmgoer? Yes, to a certain extent - because for the first time a hero is clever enough to see to it that when he takes on the ruthless criminals his family is safe, far away from the wrath of the wrongdoers.

Too much gore

Sivagiri (Vijay) is a doting brother and a responsible son. The scene shifts from the village when his sister Karpagam (Mallika) is married to a man in Chennai.

He finds the city infested with criminals and underworld dons. And of course there is the corrupt police official. Though shocked by the atrocities he keeps away from the menacing forces.

Till they would not let him be. His close friend Kannappan (Benjamin) is ruthlessly murdered at a cinema complex and Sivagiri is not going to turn a blind eye to their bloody cruelty any longer.
The film halts at an impressive point, and when action resumes you expect some very astute moves from the hero. But he adopts the usual routine of warning the villains over phone before finishing them off.

However, in a couple of scenes Sivagiri does prove that he's a commendable combo of brain and bravery.

Vijay portrays emotion and action with élan and if the hero begins to choose scripts that are more challenging and different, it would be a field day for viewers. Sibling affection, comedy and serious expression come easily to Vijay.

The heroine is Trisha - and expected to look chirpy and radiant, she fills the bill. Mallika has all the makings of a character actor and she proves it once again. It is a big break for Benjamin and he makes proper use of it. Why has such an experienced artiste such as M. N. Rajam not been properly used? Prabhakar's art concentrates on being natural and captures the ordinary household in the village and city aptly.

But why is it that bad men have to meet at a precarious height on an unfinished building at least in one or two scenes?

Saravanan's cinematography is a highlight of Vijay's introduction scene because the camera angles help establish the larger than life image of the hero straightway.

If it's Dhina it has to be more of din and less of sound. The composer doesn't seem to believe in anything that falls softly on the ears. Of the seven songs, Manisharma and Devi Sriprasad have composed one each.

Unwarranted sequences (like the Chaya Singh number) and disruptive duets mar the pace of "Thiruppachi."

Yet Vijay's portrayal and writer-director Perarasu's intelligence come to the fore now and then.

Vijay - The Biodata

Full Name : Joseph Vijay

Affectionately called : Ilayathalapathy

Profession : Actor, singer

Date of birth : 22-June1974

Mother tongue : Tamil

Height : 5'11''

Father : S.A.Chandrasekharan is a writer-producer-director

Mother : Shobha Chandrasekharan is a singer, story writer and director

Uncle : S.N.Surendar (playback singer and dubbing voice for actor mohan for over 85 films)

Wife : Sangeetha

Son : Jason Sanjay

Daughter: Divya Saasha

Friends : Sajai, Srinath, Sanjeev, Manoj and Ramkumar

Education : Bachelors Degree of Visual Communications at Loyola College (discontinued)

Debut:

* Child artiste -'Vetri '
* Action Hero -'Nalaya Therpu', directed by S A Chandrashekar(father)

As an Actor : Famous for stunts, dance, comedy and singing. Excels in all departments.

As a Person : Introvert, famous for one-line answers.

Favourites:

* TOURIST SPOTS - London and Los Angeles
* FOOD -Dosa and Chicken
* CLOTHES - Jeans and T-shirt
* COLOUR - Black
* LOCATION - his room

Best films :

' Poove Unakkaga', 'Love Today', 'Nerukku Naer', 'Kaadalukku Mariyathai' 'Thulladhamanamum Thullum' and 'Ghilli'

Awards and Honors :

* Kalaimamani award(1998)
* Tamil nadu state Best Hero award (1997) for "Kaadhalukku Mariyadhai"

Social Activities:

* Educating 32 children every year
* Conducted many free weddings
* Issued notebooks to children
* Donated upto 3 lakhs to put streetlights for a famous shiva temple in Kaveripattinam

Influential person in his life : Father

Influential person in movies : Rajinikanth

Moments :

* Happy- marriage
* Sad- sister's death

Facts :

* Had been in coco-cola commercial
* Had a sister by name Vidya who died when she was very young
* Has built a kalyana mandapam called J.S.Kalyana mandapam
* 'Kadhalukku Mariyathai' a film with shalini made people recognise him

Salary : More than one crore

Future goals : Producing films

Vijay

I don't have any other title for this blog, because for me he cannot be explained in just one line :-D I may sound like a fanatic here and even foolish, but it is very difficult for me to speak less of him...

God knows when and how I started admiring Vijay. But my hero worship has developed to such an extent that today, I watch his movies only for him. I am not a blind movie lover to accept any crap as good movie. But today, if Vijay acts in the movie nothing else bothers me. I like movies like Mouna Raagam, Azahgiya Theeye etc where there was no heroism and even the ones like Snegidhiye, where there was no hero at all....At the same time, I simply love movies that project heroism. May be that was one of the reasons why I started liking Vijay.

The first and foremost thing I like about him is that he looks as simple as a guy next door, a good friend of yours or even like one in your family...Yet he makes people accept him as hero. The transition from the soft spoken guy he is, by nature, to the explosive and thunder storm kind of hero he portrays on-screen is just amazing!!!

Next, he has not undergone any major changes as far as appearance is concerned for any of his movies. Be it a romantic lover, college student, action hero or a rowdy, he appears as himself. The difference he makes is in the form of body language and expressions. And it is really difficult to make people accept you in any role with just these.... I hate heroes doing getup changes for movies just like that!!!

To speak more, though he had a very good launch pad to enter into film industry unlike others, whatever he is today is only because of his hardwork and sincerity. Oher actors who struggled to make an entry, had only the problem on establishing them as good actors. But Vijay had to work on everything right from appearance, acting, dance and everything. How he converted his negatives into positives remains the secret of his success. He is one of the few Tamizh actors who can speak proper Tamizh.

Being a native of my own Chennai, the way he speaks Chennai Tamizh is simply superb. No wonder why he is KING OF CHENNAI. And amongst actors who do playback singing, I personally feel that his voice is the best. His screen presence and dressing sense are just amazing.

Finally, after all his successes and the kind of fan following he has today, inspite of being termed next to Superstar Rajini himself by the media, he still remains calm and cool without any change in his nature. Starting from my childhood, I have been a fan of Kamalhassan, then Rajinikanth (I am still his fan and he is my thalaivar), later Madhavan, but no one has inspired me like Vijay.

And it is highly impossible that in future, anyone will replace Vijay from his position in my list of favourites. If he declares that he quits acting in movies tomorrow, even then I will be his fan for whatever work he has done till now.

More than an actor I like him as a person. I have learnt a lot from observing him and I consider him as one of my inspirations or influences. If ever I had an elder brother in my life, I wish that he could have been like Vijay. :-)

This is a small space to speak about him. But I will try my level best to provide most information about him. This will include the collection from my mails, from websites and other sources like magazines and newspapers. Atleast, I could make a permanent record for all these information on the web by this small venture :-)

Vijay Rulezz!!!

Vijay wants villain's role

IndiaGlitz [Friday, October 29, 2004]

Vijay has acknowledged that he was floored by Sathyaraj's role in "Amaidhippadai". The star, shining brighter after "Gilli" and "Madhurey", said he appreciated the performance of the character named Amaavaasai very much and would like to do a similar role. "It has been my desire for a long time to do such a villainous role," said Vijay.

Straight from Vijay's heart

IndiaGlitz [Thursday, October 28, 2004]

Can you classify Madurey a big hit like Ghilli? When asked this, Vijay says "though Madurey cannot be equated to the mega success of Ghilli, it has collected a huge revenue. All distributors and exhibitors of Madurey have made enough profits. Everybody appreciated my performance as a district collector in the movie". Asked about his rise to stardom, he says, "I cannot say my growth in filmdom is overnight. I took cautious steps to establish myself in the industry. I thank all my directors, producers and my fans for my steady climb. I take success and failures alike. I give my best for any movie. When it fails, I feel for a while. "But immediately I begin to concentrate towards my next to achieve more success. "I have no plans to act in other languages now. After Ghilli, all my concentration is towards rendering a big hit. My forthcoming venture Thirupachi for Supergood Films would be a racy entertainer sure to make it big with masses, the actor adds.

No problem with Ajit- Vijay

IndiaGlitz [Friday, September 24, 2004]

"There is no problem between Ajit and me. Some people are playing the mischief between us. They are predicting a full-scale war between us. But it is not happening. Ajit has not made any comments about me and nor have I.", Said Vijay. The filmdom is abuzz with reports that Ajit is very unhappy with Vijay putting dialogues, which are aimed at him. From Thirumalai the problem started when Vijay made fun of bike racing and in another film made fun of a character name `Thalai’ which was the name of Ajit’s character in a film.

Thirupachi- Adhu get bank finance

IndiaGlitz [Thursday, September 23, 2004]

IDBI has now financed 'Thirupachi' and 'Adhu' the two Tamil films in the making. IDBI recently financed 'Anniyan' , For the Vijay’s 'Thirupaachi' the bank has sanctioned a loan of Rs. 4 crore. Producer R.B Chowdhary is happy because the interest rate in the banks is almost 50% less than private financiers. Thirupaachi has also been insured for a sum of Rs. 6 crore since IDBI insists on insurance for the project. Similarly, IDBI has also sanctioned a loan of Rs. 2 crore for Sneha’s 'Adhu' . Vishwa Sundar, the producer of 'Adhu' is the brother of Oscar Ravichandran who is producing 'Anniyan' . Adhu ‘s shooting is over and the film is ready for release.

Vijay for feel good subject

IndiaGlitz [Thursday, September 23, 2004]

Vijay is on a look out for a feel good subject. He agreed that there was similarities in his action films and was looking for a feel good subject like 'Poove Unakkagha' etc. He said that after Thirupachi he was going to act in a film for Dhanu and it would be a feel good film. He agreed that Madurey was not as successful as Ghilli but distributors were happy because no one lost the investment. He said that experimental films would be produced at his own expense. Since lots of money was invested his priority was to safeguard it. Madurey he said had lot of similarities with some hit films but it was new to him. He was doing a guest role in his dad’s film Sukran and next year he would give his dates to his dad, he revealed. Vijay visited the Apollo Specialties hospital in Chennai on Rose Day and spent time with the cancer patients.

Ghilli victory tour

Indiaglitz [Monday, August 30, 2004]

AM Ratthinam and the Ghilli team along with Vijay and Trisha will go on a weeklong tour. The team will visit the theatres in Nellai and Chennai where the film is running past 100 days. Vijay who is shooting for Thirupachi felt happy for the success and said that Ghilli and Madurey which had scenes shot in Meenakshi temple in Madurai were hits and hence every film would have a shot in the temple. He expressed happiness on hearing that Vikram got the award and added that he never did a film with an eye on awards and instead looked at the subject with an eye of a commoner.

Madurey, Aug 27th, 2004

http://www.chennaionline.com/film/Moviereviews/tammov366.asp

Director: R Madhesh
Cast: Vijay, Sonia Agarwal, Rakshita, Pasupati, Vadivel, Sita.

The narration shuttles between Madurai and Chennai. It opens in Madurai, where villain K T R performs last rites, throws hero Madurey's photo in the fire and exclaims, "He haunted me while alive, I don't want him haunting me as a ghost!"

The scene shifts to Chennai where the supposedly 'dead' Madurey is shown, indulging in his expected 'heroic' acts, fighting with the local rowdies, rescuing damsels in distress, singing dream songs with his two sexy neighbours (Rakshita-Tejashri), who vie with one another, not only for maximum attention from Madurey but also for baring the maximum skin!

Madurey chooses the more buxom one to fall in love with. There being not much passion or intensity in his wooing, one suspects Madurey just chose whom he felt was the better of the two!
Truth has to come out and time for a flashback. H. Maduravel, the duty-conscious collector of Madurai, takes on the might of local rowdy K T R, using his fists and legs rather than his brain, and the advantages of his post. Helping Maduravel is his pretty assistant Susheela (Sonia), who, however, maintains a stoic expression whatever the goings on.

Susheela's sneaking into K T R's den is one of the more ridiculous scenes of the film. The whole Maduravel-episode is very loosely etched, the director not much bothered about the seriousness or dignity of the post of collector. Some research here would have helped.

Pasupati makes the most of his role, more controlled here than in his earlier films. The saving grace of the film is hero Vijay. He goes through his role with perfect composure and confidence, the loose script not much bothering him. In fact, Vijay here is more outgoing and expressive, infusing his performance with subtle nuances. The only jarring part is when he repeats his punchline, 'Ithu Echarikka Ille, Kattale'.

It's Madhesh's debut as director after an apprenticeship with Shanker. Producing, scripting and directing it, he seems to have concentrated more on the glamour and the frills, alternating action with dance numbers, and missing out on a coherent script.

Tips from cousin Vijay

IndiaGlitz [Friday, August 13, 2004]

He looks like a shy cousin of Vijay (a shinier star after ‘Gilli’). And he is. Vikranth, son of Vijay’s aunt, is making his debut as the hero in ‘Karka Kasadara’. Asked if Vijay gave him any tips, Vikrant says: "Yes, he asked me not to ignore even minor expressions. He also advised me to pay attention to all departments like ‘action’ and romance." The hero in the making promises to live up to the reputation of his better-known ‘big brother’. Diya and Lakshmi Roy are Vikranth’s two heroines in the film under the R. V. Udayakumar, who has also written its story, screenplay and lyrics.

Interview with Actor Vijay

IndiaGlitz.com

Friday, August 06, 2004

A string of failures put a question mark about his career. Yet, actor Vijay turned his fortunes around after the success of Thirumalai last year and the stupendous run of Ghilli (remake of Telugu blockbuster Okkadu).Two successive hits have given a new lease of life to the actor and he has now re-established himself in the Tamil film industry as a name to be reckoned with. Flush with success, Vijay has a few offers lined up and is awaiting the release of his next film Madurey, produced and directed by Madhesh.The actor who has been in the show biz industry for more than a decade now, says the success of Ghilli brings with it greater responsibility as fans would be expecting greater things from him now."I was confident that Ghilli would make it big. But the success entails more responsibility for me to keep continuing the good run", he adds. "My forthcoming movies Madurey and Thirupachi have different story lines with a mix of action and humor", Vijay says.

On Ghilli's big success. I was confident that Ghilli would make it big among the masses. The movie produced by A M Rathnam and directed by Dharani was a pulsating action film with a romantic base. Even the songs and stunts in the movie appealed to the masses. The success of Ghilli has made me more responsible now. I have to choose the right scripts and work in order to sustain the good run. You evince keen interest on working in action-oriented movies. Today, in Tamil filmdom, action-packed movies are the order of the day. Hence, keeping in line with the trend, I am working on action films. Once the trend changes, I will think of doing different films. Thirumalai, Ghilli and the forthcoming release Madurey too have stunt sequences that would appeal to action-lovers. You have developed a liking to work in Telugu remakes... Yes, all my film which were remakes from Telugu have done well here. I don't thing it is wrong. Even now, I have zeroed in on a couple of recent Telugu hits. I might venture to do one of them. On your forthcoming films Madurey will be released in the third week of August. Sonia Agrawal and Rakshitha are the leading ladies in the film. Produced and directed by Madhesh,Madurey is a story that revolves around a happy-go-lucky-youngster (which I portray). The movie has come out very well. Ever since Madhesh narrated the script to me, I was impressed with the story line that I gave the go-ahead to the project. I am confident that Madurey will appeal to people of all age-groups. I am also acting in a movie titled Tirupachi, produced by R B Choudhary and directed by Perarasu.

Vijay turns producer

IndiaGlitz [Friday, August 06, 2004]

Vijay is soon to launch his own production company. Named after his son Jason Sanjay the first film will be directed by Ramana. Ramana directed him in Thirumalai, which was a comeback film for Vijay. Despite Ramana giving a flop with Sullan, Vijay has decided to give the director a major break. Meanwhile Vijay’s Madurey is likely to be released only by August end since they do not want to clash with Vasool Raja MBBS scheduled for August 12.

Trisha rebuts 'Gilli'-fed gossip

IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, July 27, 2004]

Popular Tamil-Telugu heroine Trisha has had to rebut several rumors at the same time. In an interview with the mass-circulation Tamil weekly Kumudam, the actress attributed the rumors to the phenomenal success of "Gilli", starring her and Vijay. The first and the most predictable rumor was about her relations with Vijay. "We are just friends," was her equally predictable reply. She added that the source of the rumor was a joint party in a big Chennai hotel to celebrate Vijay's success in "Gilli" and her own birthday. Another rumor was that she had driven her father out of her home, as she found it infra dig to live with a man working at a hotel. On the contrary, she said, she was proud of her father Krishnan holding a good post in Benz Park Hotel. Her mother too is working as an executive with Apollo Tubes. A third rumor, also hotly denied by Trisha, was that she attempted suicide. A fourth, and obviously false, rumor was that she had actually died!