Had Mysskin not backstabbed me, VFF could have supported more talent: Vishal

While director Mysskin is ready to leave things behind and work in Thupparivaalan 2 again, it looks like Vishal is in no mood to patch up as is clear from this interview. The actor-producer also talks about his upcoming release, Veeramae Vaagai Soodum, directed by debutant Thu Pa Saravanan

Vishal last met us for an interview in October ahead of the release of Enemy. Three months later, he has bulked up for his role in Laththi. As he walks in to talk about Veeramae Vaagai Soodum which is about to release soon, we could see him wearing wrist braces on both his hands. “These are Peter Hein’s New Year gift for me on the sets of Laththi. There are several bruises in my hand,” he says. 

The actor-producer also adds that he has put on weight for the role. Coming to Veeramae Vaagai Soodum, he tells us that the film has shaped up well. “It has come out the way we wanted it to be. Director Thu Pa Saravanan is an immensely talented chap. He initially came to me to release his award-winning short film Edhu Thevayo Adhuve Dharmam. I was impressed with it and asked him if he had a script on hand. At first, he was nervous. Then I asked him to take his time and narrate a bound script. That is where it all started,” he says. Vishal, who is known for his action-oriented films, says that this will be quite different from his other films. “Veeramae... is not only an action-centric film. 

The film is about a common man and how he gets into a situation. It talks about the middle-class section of the people and will have shades of a Visu or an S Ve Sekhar movie. In fact, this script reminded me of Pandiya Naadu. I play a youngster, who awaits a job offer from Tamil Nadu Police,” the actor opens up.

Produced by his home banner Vishal Film Factory, the shooting started off in Chennai last year. However, the unit soon shifted to Hyderabad after a lockdown was imposed. Talking about getting things back on track within a few hours after lockdown and resuming the shoot, Vishal says, “I am a psycho that way. I didn’t have much time to think about it after lockdown was announced in May. So, we immediately shifted to Hyderabad and the scene was totally different. The city was buzzing with activities. And, we were the only Tamil film to be shooting in the entire city across schedules at that time.” Lately, the actor-producer has been actively signing films for other banners as well. After Enemy, his films Mark Antony and an untitled project helmed by Muthaiah are being produced by Mini Studio and Stone Bench respectively. But we haven’t seen any other actors playing lead in a movie produced by Vishal’s Vishal Film Factory. “I would have done that too had a director like Mysskin not backstabbed me. I Incurred a loss of Rs 13 crore for Thupparivaalan 2 because of him. If it were another producer in his 60s or 70s, they would have suffered a cardiac arrest. I am still looking to nurture talent and V Music is a result of that. My sister Aishwarya suggested that we make music videos for now and encourage musicians,” he explains.

There have been quite a few speculations on his upcoming projects. Vishal clears the air and with patience he tells us his projects in a chronological order. “I am currently shooting for Laththi produced by Ramanaa and Nandha. I will be taking a break and commence Mark Antony on February 5. Post that I will be resuming Laththi and take off to London for Thupparivaalan 2 recce. Then I have a Muthaiah film followed by Thuppraivaalan 2 shooting in London while the pre-production work for my second directorial will simultaneously take place in Chennai,” he concludes.