Actor-filmmaker SJ Surya, who’s currently enjoying the second innings of his career, has scored something of a coup by getting superstar Amitabh Bachchan to give his nod to a Tamil film for the very first time in his distinguished acting career. The film titled Uyarndha Manidhan (The Tall Man) will be made in Tamil and Hindi by director Tamizhvaanan.
This big news was revealed by Suryah in a suitably grand manner, through a video featuring Rajinikanth. The thalaiva unveiled the film’s poster and congratulated Amitabh on his Tamil debut, saying, “That my friend Amitabh Bachchan is acting in a Tamil film is a matter of pride for the entire Tamil film industry. I am also happy for SJ Suryah, who will make his foray into the Hindi film industry with this film. I wish them all the best.”
Speaking to DC, Suryah says of this achievement, “It has taken two years of pre-production work and one year of script work by Tamizhvaanan, with whom I collaborated for Kalvanin Kadhali. He felt that only Amitabh sir could do justice to the character he had conceived. Through common friends, we approached Big B and had several rounds of discussions. Finally, he asked us to come and meet him in Mumbai.”
“We were waiting with bated breath when the superstar came out and greeted us with his majestic voice. Much to our joy, the first thing he said was, ‘I like the script and I am doing the film.’ He had a few questions regarding the script, and once they were answered by Tamizh, he was glad to come on board. The joy of that moment is unexplainable,” the actor adds.
Suryah says that he couldn’t be more proud of the way his career has shaped up, and the fact that he’s been able to bring Amitabh Bachchan to “namma Tamil industry”.
“The magic only happened because it was an extraordinary script,” he says.
Both he and Tamizhvaanan think that given the casting, the film’s title is only fitting. “Uyarndha Manidhan was a timeless classic of Sivaji Ganesan made under the AVM banner. Our producer K. Suresh Kannan of Thiruchendur Murugan Productions has obtained all the necessary permissions to use the title,” Suryah adds.
The movie is expected to go on floors in March 2019. Meanwhile, the team is working on finalising the rest of the cast and crew.
