Dhanush on Vada Chennai: Film's journey started 10 years ago; seeing it release feels like a dream

After a long wait, Vetrimaaran and Dhanush’s Vada Chennai  is gearing up for release on 17 October. The entire team interacted with the press this week and shared exciting snippets and backstories about the highly-anticipated project, which features a star cast comprising Dhanush, Andrea, Aishwarya Rajesh, Samuthirakani, director Ameer, Kishore, Daniel Balaji and Cheenu Mohan in essential roles. [caption id=“attachment_5375831” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Dhanush in a still from Vada Chennai[/caption] Talking about how Vada Chennai came about, Dhanush recounted, “The journey of Vada Chennai started around 2003-2004. After completing Pollathavan, when Vetrimaaran and I were contemplating Vada Chennai as our next project, we realised that the 1000-page script demanded a better budget; my market was not big enough at that time. Then, we discussed a few stories and zeroed in on Aadukalam. After Aadukalam, we mutually decided to take a break before re-teaming again. Then, Vetrimaaran called me one fine day and informed that he was going to do Vada Chennai with Simbu. I congratulated him.” He further added: “Then, Vetrimaaran had asked me to do a significant character in the film, who would have 30-minute screen time. Later, due to some reasons, their project was shelved. But, we didn’t want to immediately work on Vada Chennai since it would pave the way for more speculations. So, he started Visaraanai in between, and I happened to produce it. Now, Vada Chennai is all set to hit screens on 17 October.” Dhanush said he felt really blessed to have played the role of Anbu in Vada Chennai. “The project has been a massive struggle for Vetrimaaran. It was definitely not for business reasons that we decided to do Vada Chennai as a three-part film. We opted for it because we had no other option since the script and research work was very extensive. We could never narrate this story in one part. We should have at least six intervals and one full day to showcase this film (smiles). And, we already have close to 20 percent footage for the second part, whose shooting will commence sometime next year,” he said. In a surprise announcement, Dhanush announced his fourth collaboration with Vetrimaaran. “Now, Vetrimaaran and I are teaming up for another project in between before starting Vada Chennai again. The shooting will begin next week. The entire team had immense trust in this project and I would like to thank each one of them wholeheartedly.” On being asked about the supporting characters in the film, Dhanush said, “Director Ameer is the backbone of the film. If Vetrimaaran had written four more scenes for the character Rajan played by Ameer, it would have easily surpassed my role. The story of all three parts of Vada Chennai revolves around his character. It’s quite an impactful role. Although I was a little skeptical about Samuthirakani’s role, Vetrimaaran had full conviction in him. Andrea’s role is very crucial in the first two parts of the film.” Heaping praise on Aishwarya Rajesh, Dhanush said, “She is such a natural performer. Hers is a role which demanded zero inhibitions and she pulled it off with great ease. She never showed any strain or stress while essaying her character Padma.” On a concluding note, Dhanush said, “Vada Chennai is a film which remained on paper for the past ten years. It feels like a dream now that the film is releasing in a few days. It has come out extremely well and I can confidently say that audiences will enjoy watching it.” “Vetrimaaran is like a brother who has been with me in all my ups and downs. He’s always provided me a great platform to showcase my acting skills. Whenever I fall down, everyone would escape in stop block but Vetrimaaran would always be there to lift me up,” said Dhanush about his long-standing association with Vetrimaaran. Reminiscing about how the film originated, Vetrimaaran said, “The idea of Vada Chennai germinated in 2003 when I met someone from North Madras and heard his life account. He later penned the entire story and gave it to me. Dhanush, the producer, was more critical for the completion of Vada Chennai than Dhanush, the actor. For a project which has been in the making for more than two years, Dhanush’s contribution and support were immense as a producer.” On Dhanush’s performance in the film, Vetri said, “As an actor, Dhanush enjoyed the growth of his character. He let Anbu evolve through the course of the shooting and came up with a special performance. He thoroughly enjoyed his role. He has captured the expressions and body language of Anbu, whose character spans through decades, very subtly.” While Andrea said Vada Chennai was special movie for her, Aishwarya Rajesh acknowledged her major breakthrough film Kaaka Muttai, which was jointly produced by Dhanush and Vetrimaaran in 2012. “I had even sent feelers through my friend Amrita Ram, who is the costume designer of Vada Chennai, to recommend me for Vetrimaaran for the film. I play a very interesting role. It’s a bold and unusual character,” said Aishwarya. Said to have been made on a budget of Rs 50 cr, Vada Chennai has music composed by Santhosh Narayanan and is set for worldwide release on the Ayudha Pooja weekend.