On the day of Saithan’s release — the biggest opening in his decade long career — composer-producer-actor Vijay Antony remains calm and composed. Directed by debutant Pradeep Krishnamoorthy, this film is a psychological thriller in which he is paired opposite newcomer Arundhati Nair.
Vijay Antony plays Dinesh, a software developer, while Arundhati Nair plays his wife. Speaking to DC, he says, “I listened to the script from the perspective of an audience and I was confident that this project would be interesting. I appear in different get-ups in the film and it wasn’t physically taxing. Donning multiple looks is a first for me and the third look is a surprise for the audience.”
When asked why he always prefers working with debutant directors, the Pichaikkaran actor explains, “I feel comfortable working with them and more importantly , they come up with out-of-the-box ideas. Also, I have an eye for picking the right talent for my projects. I wish to showcase more such talents in the future.”
At the audio launch of the movie, eight minutes of footage was released as a promotional strategy — “Honestly speaking, I wasn’t satisfied with the one-and-a-half-minute trailer cut. It was giving out so much information than the eight-minute clip did. So, I decided to release the long footage to hold the suspense and to arouse curiosity.”
The titles, Saithan and Yemen (his next flick) have negative connotations to them and are considered bad omens in the industry. “I don’t believe in these superstitions. Simply put, these titles have a nice ring to them and are great recall value. Apart from that, they were available easily,” he shares.
Vijay Antony has now completed Yemen and is busy with the post-production.
