Prithviraj once dissed Vijay, Allu Arjun’s films for ‘poor aesthetics’; later compared ‘Thalapathy’ to Amitabh Bachchan

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“The kind of obsession we show towards non-Malayalam films is notable. If only we showed even a fraction of that for Malayalam cinema, our films would have fared much better. Now, everyone is praising Subramaniapuram (2008). These are the same people who support Vijay’s and Allu Arjun’s movies. Let me speak bluntly here; these films often have poor aesthetics. There is nothing in them that suggests a good story or a good cinema,” he noted during an interview in 2010.

Doubling down, Prithviraj added, “Yet, a distributor here (in Kerala) has the courage to buy them for Rs 3.75-4 crore. We are the ones providing that courage. We are the ones giving them the confidence by saying we will watch it in theatres if it has songs and dance numbers. That mindset needs to change.”

However, over time, the actor-director has softened his stance. Years later, he stated that both big-ticket, commercial movies and aesthetically appealing, independent films should coexist.

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During the promotions of his movie Driving Licence (2019), Prithviraj even likened Vijay’s star aura to that of Bollywood’s ‘Shahenshah’ Amitabh Bachchan. “I’ve met Vijay on several occasions, and we have spoken quite a lot. Not just in Tamil Nadu, but he is easily one of India’s biggest stars today. In fact, he is one of the stars who can generate the most revenue in India with his films. Every time a Vijay film comes out, the schematics in the industry begin to change. The belief that a Tamil movie can generate so much revenue is a big development. In a lot of ways, I think Vijay is an important figure in Tamil commercial cinema,” Galatta quoted him as saying.

Prithviraj reportedly added, “Vijay’s evolution over the years as a star and as an actor, I have been impressed by him so much with the films he chooses after careful thought and doing only limited ventures in a year while knowing his space and then designing his projects accordingly. That to me is very intelligent.”

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When Prithviraj likened Vijay’s star aura to that of Amitabh Bachchan

Lauding the way Vijay carries himself, Prithviraj noted, “When you see him in person, you know that there is a star charisma in him. Although he doesn’t speak much, you know, there is a lot of star charisma. Every time I see Amitabh Bachchan, I feel that even if he walks into a room where no one knows him, he could arrest the entire room’s attention with his presence. That trait is there in Vijay as well.”

Attesting to Vijay’s stardom and impact on the masses, he said in another interview, “If a Vijay film releases in Kerala today, it opens like a Malayalam movie headlined by one of its superstars. So, there is something right about how Vijay is doing his films, which is why it works like that.”