High time Kabilan Vairamuthu built his own universe

CHENNAI: Kabilan Vairamuthu is busy multitasking, rather ‘multi versing’. The writer-lyricist has been simultaneously working on a couple of huge sequels-- Aagol 2, his highly successful sci-fi novel and Indian 2 as the screenwriter. His song in Vijay’s The GOAT titled Chinna Chinna Kangal is also topping the charts. Being the most-sought after writer for stars like Vijay, Ajith and now Kamal Haasan, who enjoy a massive fanbase globally. “When I am approached to write for them, I need to stay true to the story, to the situation and what the script requires,” he begins.

He believes that adaptability has been the key for him. “For some films, I would be approached for screenplay, dialogues and lyrics, for some films, they would want me only as the lyricist. To whichever role, I am being approached for, I adapt and stay true to it. To answer your question, if I keep in mind who the star is that I am writing for, it would be a pressure that I am imposing on myself. Obviously, I am a fan of Ajith, Vijay and Kamal Haasan. Despite the fanboy in me sneaking out once in a while, the key is to write with conviction,” adds Kabilan.

With four more days left for the release of Indian 2, the writer calls the experience of working in Indian 2 as the screenwriter a “once-in-a-lifetime” moment. “Kamal sir and Shankar coming together after Indian is one of the biggest combinations in Indian cinema. I am overwhelmed to be a part of it as a dialogue writer. For Indian 2, there are three of us in the writing front-- me, Jeyamohan and Lakshmi Saravana Kumar. We never co-wrote the film. Instead, we all gave him a complete version of the dialogues and he chose what he wanted from each of us and fit it into the film. The beauty of the screenplay is that the first review of the film lies within the story. Interestingly, we never met each throughout the process,” he reveals.

Before we talk about The GOAT, we were curious to know about his novel, Aagol, for which he was into extensive research and the English version has won acclaim globally. “Aagol’s English version is being hailed as one of the most important novels in contemporary literature. Global audience has compared it with George Orwell’s 1984. He had written the novel in 1949 on totalitarianism. So, I am glad Aagol has found its place globally. Aagol 2 is work under progress,” Kabilan remarks.

With AI foraying into the movie industry, especially in music and writing, Kabilan sees the brighter side of it. “It has its own pros and cons. But it should be used in the right way. It is a peculiar development that is taking place and has replaced a lot of jobs. There has been a lot of technological development over the years and those who have adapted to it have survived,” he states.

Chinna Chinna Kangal is a melodious number, penned by Kabilan and he attributes the success to the entire team. “Yuvan has produced a musical treat with Chinna Chinna Kangal. Vijay sir has sung it beautifully with Bhavatharini’s mesmerising voice in AI is a cherry on the cake. I have been following the comments on social media and people have been saying that they have listened to a good song after quite a long time,” Kabilan says with a smile.

Writing on and for different platforms and building his own characters for his novel and off it, we were intrigued if Kabilan would be keen on building his own universe and bring his characters together, he replies, “That will be a secret but this is something I have been working on for quite some time now. You never know,” he concludes.