Dhanush on the story behind his film Idli Kadai: ‘We didn’t have any money during our childhood to buy idlis…’

At the audio launch of Idli Kadai, Dhanush shared insights into the film's origins, explained the story behind its unusual title, and reflected on his collaboration with GV Prakash Kumar.

By: Entertainment Desk

Bangalore | Updated: September 15, 2025 02:22 PM IST

3 min read

Dhanush and G V Prakashkumar at Idli Kadai audio launch

At the audio launch, Dhanush opened up about the story of Idli Kadai and GV Prakash Kumar's stand on the film's songs

The audio launch of Idli Kadai, starring Dhanush in the lead role, was held on Sunday. The event, graced by the film’s cast and crew, also saw several prominent figures from the industry in attendance. Speaking at the launch, Dhanush, who has written and co-produced Idli Kadai, shared insights into its origins, explained the story behind its unusual title, and reflected on his collaboration with GV Prakash Kumar.

Dhanush said, “An idli kadai is a very important aspect of my childhood. We didn’t have any money during our childhood to buy idlis from the idli kadai in our place. So we started collecting flowers from the fields and sold them for money. My sister, cousins, and I would wake up at 4 am to do this every day so that we can have idlis from that shop. Nothing to this day beats the taste of those 4-5 idlis we bought with our hard-earned money. This film is my tribute to that place.”

Speaking about the storyline of the film Idli Kadai, he said, “I thought what would happen if I made a film revolving around an idli kadai. It’s a story not only about that one store, but inspired by the whole village I grew up in and some very interesting real characters that impacted me strongly from a young age. Using those characters and elements, I created a fictional story for Idli Kadai. It’s a film about our culture and my roots.”

Also Read | Rhythm turns 25: Meena and Arjun Sarja’s career-best performances anchor this tender romance classic

Idli Kadai marks GV Prakash Kumar and Dhanush’s ninth collaboration. Talking about the music of the film, the actor said, “Once I pitched the story of Idli Kadai to GV Prakash Kumar, he told me beforehand that he won’t be composing trend-based songs for our film. Let’s not make songs for momentary YouTube views or trends. I will give you melodies that will speak for themselves once the film comes out.” Dhanush also praised GV Prakash for his commitment to creating original, enduring songs for the film. “It takes a lot of guts to take that position as a composer these days. Anyone can create songs for trends, but only a music director with strong conviction in his own melody can take such a stand,” he said.

During the event, Dhanush also commented on ‘online haters’. “I don’t believe there is anything called ‘haters’. Everybody is watching everything these days. Maybe some 30 people will spread negative information through 300 fake IDs for their survival. They might also like the film in reality, but the response in those handles might be different. If people spread love, that would be returned, I believe.”

Also Read | Rajinikanth recalls Ilaiyaraaja’s antics after having half a bottle of beer with him and director Mahendran: ‘He wanted to hear gossip about actresses’

Story continues below this ad

Idli Kadai is Dhanush’s fourth directorial outing after Power Paandi, Raayan and Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam. The movie, also starring Nithya Menon, Arun Vijay, Rajkiran and Parthiban, will be released on October 1, 2025.

From the homepage