For the first time, Suriya becomes a villain in his upcoming flick 24, in which he sports a triple role. Produced by the actor’s home banner 2D Entertainment, the film is said to be the biggest-ever budget for a Suriya film. Director Vikram K Kumar, who returns to Tamil cinema after a gap of seven years with the sci-fi thriller, talks to DC about Suriya’s commitment, AR Rahman’s music and much more, in an exclusive. We also got the opportunity of watching the awesome teaser before its official release!
In fact, Vikram made the horror genre popular in Kollywood, with his 2009 psychological film Yaavarum Nalam, which had Madhavan in the lead. He shifted gears to Tollywood and made a big impact with the family drama Manam — and is now trying his hands in a new genre. “Yes, 24 revolves around the concept of time travel. Recently, we saw Indru Netru Naalai, which was based on a time machine. The story alternates between the present and 25 years in the past,” the filmmaker begins his conversation.
He revealed that Suriya would appear as three different characters. Though he was tightlipped about two of the actor’s roles, he spilled the beans about the Singam star’s villainous role!
Suriya plays Athreya, a character which is highly negative. When I narrated the script, he was initially apprehensive whether the audiences would accept him in such a villainous portrayal. I told him that only he could do it, and that is the novelty of the script. I also said that this character will stand out from among the three,” muses Vikram.
Heaping praises on Suriya’s commitment, he says, “24 hours of work is not enough for Suriya. If a day had even more that 24 hours, he would only be happy to work! Pulling three different roles is not an easy proposition. Each required a different makeup and looks. But yes, the method actor has given a power-packed performance.”
While Samantha and Nithya Menen are paired opposite two Suriyas, Saranya Ponvannan appears in an important role — “It is not the routine mother role which she plays here. Her character is crucial tog the script,” he says.
Being a sci-fi flick, 90 percent of the movie has been shot on specially erected, costly sets. “We shot all the set sequences in Mumbai, including the famous Filmistaan Studio. A particular color tone has been maintained throughout the film. We also had a schedule in Poland where we could get the 90s trains, bikes and houses ,which were required for the script.”
Prod him to speak about AR Rahman’s music and he says, “Rahman sir has given mesmerising numbers. He has given a new sound to the album of 24.”
Gnanavel Raja speaks
Though Suriya has produced the film, it is Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green who bought the distribution rights for a whopping price. He says, “When Vikram Kumar came to us to narrate the script, he told Suriya and ARR that he needed only half an hour. But you wont believe it; the way Kumar narrated the script complete with expression and dialogue, the two were amazed and sat for four hours till it was completed! Now that we have seen the completed film, I am confident that after 24, Kumar will be in the big league of filmmakers like Shankar and Murugadoss.”
