So it’s official. Tamil star Ajith’s Vidaamuyarchi is not hitting the screens on Pongal as earlier announced. The makers confirmed the postponement on December 31, along with their New Year wishes. Films, especially the ones involving the biggest stars of the Indian film industry, often face their fair share of issues. With everything from political interferences and outfits protesting for changes in an unreleased film they are yet to watch, to rumours of squabbles within the film’s crew, the troubles that makers and in due course, fans have to go through are unfortunately one too many. Actor Ajith Kumar and his filmography have always been exempted from such behind-the-scenes drama, especially after 2011, when the actor disbanded his fan clubs across the state. While he was lauded for his daring decision, it unsurprisingly did not sit well with his fans who could not get a glimpse of their favourite star in any film-related events.
Fast-forward to the 2020s it became evident that his films will not have grand audio launches or success meets. So much so that fans started demanding updates on his films, and when things turned ugly with his 2022 film Valimai thanks to these requests spilling over from social media to sporting events and other gatherings, Ajith had to step in with a statement requesting his fans not to indulge in such activities.
It would not be an overstatement that these emotion-filled war cries hit the crescendo with the actor’s upcoming film Vidaamuyarchi and all the noises the film has made since its announcement in 2023. One of Tamil cinema’s leading production houses, Lyca Production, even before distributing their first film with Ajith, Thunivu (2023), collaborated with the actor for the first time in March 2022 for an untitled film which was to be helmed by Vignesh Shivan. Later, in early 2023, it was rumoured that the film was dropped for reasons unknown and in February of the same year, the actor’s 62nd film was revealed to be directed by Magizh Thirumeni. As expected, the news was welcomed with open arms by not just Ajith fans but also by those aware of Magizh’s limited yet brilliant filmography. Known for his genre-centric films, the filmmaker has made a name for himself with his repertoire of work that includes Thadaiyara Thaakka, Meaghamann and Thadam. The official confirmation of his collaboration with Ajith along with the film’s title came on May 1, 2023, on the occasion of the actor’s birthday, which also confirmed the technical crew of the film.
With no update from the makers till August, there were multiple reports on the film being dropped but Lyca Production’s head honcho Subaskaran Allirajah, during an event for Chandramukhi 2, affirmed that the film is on track. Vidaamuyarchi later went on floors in October, 2023 in Azerbaijan without the customary shoot commencement news from the makers. Lyca Productions, similar to what the Vidaamuyarchi’s lead character might do in the film, took the road less travelled with the film’s promotions. With no updates for the rest of 2023, it was Netflix’s South Indian X (formerly twitter) handle that shared the film’s first update in 2024, confirming the platform to be the film’s OTT partner.
By then, the speculations and rumours about the film’s cast started making the rounds — which later turned out to be quite precise. But instead of sharing first-look images of each of the supporting cast which happens to be the ongoing trend, the makers released a snap of Ajith from the shoot and mentioned that the Azerbaijan schedule has been wrapped up. The film’s primary cast members were tagged in the tweet.
Done with the AZERBAIJAN 🇦🇿 schedule! The VIDAA MUYARCHI team has wrapped up & is gearing up for a new adventure at a new location. 📍🌏#VidaaMuyarchi#AjithKumar#MagizhThirumeni@anirudhofficial@trishtrashers@akarjunofficial@ReginaCassandra@Aravoffl@omdop… pic.twitter.com/CTbAIDkOpf
Two months later, when fans were witnessing an update drought, instead of releasing the film’s first look, the makers pulled a surprise, unlike anything else Tamil cinema fans have ever seen. A clip from the making of the film was released; it featured a high-speed car sequence with Ajith and Arav inside a hummer vehicle. With Ajith on the wheel, the video shows the actor trying to manoeuvre the speeding vehicle only for it to topple. Unsurprisingly, the clip went viral.
It took the team close to three months to come up with the first-look image. The first look, which was released on June 30, 2024, featured the star walking on an open road with a duffel bag and it was criticised by many for being basic and an afterthought.
First look of ‘Vidaamuyarchi’
| Photo Credit:
@LycaProductions/X
A week later, the second look was revealed which turned out to be far better than the earlier image and a few more days later, the third look was out and apart from Ajith, it featured the film’s female lead Trisha for the first time. Even though the film’s ensemble cast was earlier mentioned in several tweets, they finally got their individual first-looks — with their pictures superimposed over that of Ajith.
After the film’s dubbing commenced in October, it was well into November of last year when the film’s teaser was released along with the announcement of the film’s release for Pongal 2025. On December 1, 2024, the teaser’s English version was released and the new teaser too carried Pongal as the film’s release date. If the accident video and the first look made a few eagle-eyed fans doubt if the film is a remake of the 1997 cult Hollywood film Breakdown, the teaser fuelled this speculation. News later surfaced that the makers had landed themselves in a major copyright violation row, with allegations of plagiarism by Paramount Pictures, the production house behind Breakdown. While the producers of Vidaamuyarchi never addressed the allegations, it’s rumoured that the release postponement is due to this issue.
In the final leg of the shoot! 🎬 The journey of persistence edges closer. 🔥#VidaaMuyarchi From Pongal 2025 #EffortsNeverFail#AjithKumar#MagizhThirumeni@LycaProductions#Subaskaran@gkmtamilkumaran@trishtrashers@akarjunofficial@anirudhofficial@Aravoffl@ReginaCassandra… pic.twitter.com/yCwFoe5Gcc
A month ago, on December 7, 2024, it was announced that Ajith completed his dubbing for the film in Baku, Azerbaijan but ten days later, the team shared images from the set and captioned it, “In the final leg of the shoot.” The photos featured a suave Ajith in a tuxedo and Trisha in a dark grey saree. Just a few days before that, director Adhik Ravichandran shared photos from the sets of Good Bad Ugly, Ajith’s next film and the snaps went viral thanks to the look Ajith sported in them. Visibly leaner, the actor is said to have shed weight as prep work for his motorsports comeback at the 2025 Michelin 24H Series in Dubai. With Ajith’s weight loss happening before wrapping up Vidaamuyarchi, and the shoot wrap-up post featuring the actor in a toned avatar, fans wondered how the two different looks would come up in the film.
Thank you #Ajith sir for Giving me this lifetime opportunity , DREAM FULL-FILLED . Love you so much sir ❤️🙏🏻 Last day shoot for sir💥🔥💥🔥 whata beautiful journey #GoodBadUgly ❤️😍 pic.twitter.com/kyfI3GUcnM
The first single from the film, ‘Sawadeeka’, was released on December 27 and the track, composed by Anirudh, received mixed reviews though the hook step was lapped up by fans turning it into viral Instagram reels. The film’s promotions were set to overdrive and Magizh commenced his round of interviews with publications where the filmmaker made some startling revelations. In an interview with The Hindu, Magizh said that Ajith’s manager reached out to him and after sharing the news that he will be directing the actor’s next, the filmmaker was told that the film would go on floors in ten days. Magizh also stated that the “source material” was suggested by the actor. “While this is not a 100% Magizh Thirumeni film, it wouldn’t be 100% the kind of films Ajith sir’s fans are eager to see,” added the filmmaker. His statements have not gone down well with the fans who were expecting a sleek, original thriller in the lines of Magizh’s previous films.
Another blow came to fans on December 31 when Lyca Productions shared the unexpected news of the film release’s postponement along with their New Year wishes. Within a span of two days, the news of the postponement created major ripples in the Tamil film industry and trying to capitalise on the Pongal weekend, several films’ release announcements were made at the last minute by their makers.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year 2025! 😇✨Due to unavoidable circumstances, the release of VIDAAMUYARCHI is postponed from PONGAL! Kindly stay tuned for further updates! The wait will be worth it! 🙏🏻#Vidaamuyarchi#HappyNewYearpic.twitter.com/Xxt7sx1AMY
Earlier, director Bala and Arun Vijay’s Vanangaan was the only major film that was eyeing a Pongal release. The film’s producer Suresh Kamatchi, in a recent interaction with the YouTube channel Cineulagam, before the official postponement of Vidaamuyarchi, called out Lyca Productions for its unethical behaviour. “Because of not knowing when Vidaamuyarchi is being planned for release, it became tough for not just us but for other makers to take a call on whether they can release their films on Pongal,” said Suresh, pointing out logistical issues of sending films to overseas distributors at the last minute as one of several problems the makers of smaller films have to face.
As expected, several films have now been scheduled to be released on January 10 to cash in on the Pongal weekend. Apart from Vanagaaan, Nithya Menen and Jayam Ravi’s Kaadhalika Neramillai,director Vishnuvardhan’s Nesippaya and Sundar C-Vishal’s long-delayed Madha Gaja Raja, around nine other Tamil films have announced Pongal as their release date at the time of writing this article. While it’s unlikely that all these films will see the light of day the coming Friday, the Vidaamuyarchi release issue has certainly set a lot of unexpected balls rolling. This also includes the actor’s next film Good Bad Ugly which was wrapped up last month. Vidaamuyarchi, the Tamil word for persistence, seems to be what kept fans of Ajith going and with a new release date yet to be announced, their perseverance and the patience of those waiting to catch the film on the big screen have certainly worn thin.
Published – January 03, 2025 04:07 pm IST
Tamil cinema
/
Indian cinema
/
The Hindu Explains
