With the amount of people thronging Gopalapuram from all over TN, and the kind of police bundobust on Sunday evening, one would get the impression that it was a political conference or rally — but it was actually the audio launch of Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s latest offering, Theri! Besides huge cutouts of Vijay, the walls were plastered with the matinee idol’s posters representing each of his fan clubs.
Vijay, who was the cynosure of all eyes, chose his words cautiously while rendering his speech amidst thunderous applause and whistles. Referring to his two heroines, Samantha and Amy Jackson, the actor, who seemed to be in a light-hearted mood, remarked, “If Samantha is Selfie pulla (the hit song where he jigged with Sam), Amy is kulfi pulla! Normally, music composers are the heroes of audio launch functions. But here, the music director (G.V. Prakash) himself is a hero — the hero of all virgin pasanga!”
On iconic filmmaker Mahendran, who makes his debut as a villain in Theri, he said, “My long desire of working in his direction could not materialise, but I am happy that I am sharing the screen space with the legend.” Atlee, who spoke about his ‘chemistry with his hero, also shared a tidbit about the movie— “There are three Vijays in it — one is a romantic, the other is the ‘mass hero’ you all know, and the third is the one known to only his close circles!”
Vijay also praised his director — “Atlee’s veri (passion) to do an action film with me resulted in Theri.” He also had some advice for fans, “Don’t chase standards set by others. Your accomplishments must set a benchmark for others to attain.” He concluded with a word on the flick, which is themed around a dad’s love for his daughter — “Even criminals would love the character of the cop Vijay Kumar in Theri!”
Naturally, Vijay’s family, including dad SAC, mom Shoba and wife Sangeetha turned up to support him, along with his plethora of fans. Atlee’s better half, Priya, was a picture of poise alongside the director as she looked pretty in a designer outfit and air-kissed all the guests at will! Composer G.V. Prakash kept it simple with his dressing, and insisted on stage that his 50th film offering would be something special indeed.
One of the most memorable moments of the evening was when legendary film director Mahendran took the stage, giving an eloquent speech and referring to himself as a ‘new face actor’! He also went on to add that life had always given him unexpected twists — and becoming an actor was one such opportunity. Prabhu looked his regal best, and was as jovial as always, even praising Vijay’s parents for raising him so wonderfully! The veteran only makes a cameo of sorts in Theri, but still made an impression at the event with his affable personality.
Nassar also made a quick appearance on stage, but left a mark with his rousing speech. He remarked that he was not present in the capacity of his role as an actor, producer or even as the Nadigar Sangam President — but as a father, for his son Luthfudeen would always be indebted to Ilayathalapathy for his help in the wake of the former’s horrific car accident last year. Producer Thanu, ‘Motta’ Rajendran, Meena along with her daughter Nainika, and some of the film’s crew also addressed the audience, as the evening drew to a close with the film’s trailer played on screen for the first time — coinciding with the same being released online, across social media forums. One thing’s for sure; if it’s anything to do with Vijay, rest assured it can’t be an ordinary occasion anymore!
