Arun Vijay: After watching Tamilrockerz, people might stop watching pirated content

Excerpts from the interview:

First things first, what can we expect from Tamilrockerz?

We pretty much know what illegal websites like Tamilrockers and film piracy, on the whole, did to film industries. Mind you, this is not just about the Tamil film industry, the series is about the loss incurred by industries across the world. After watching the series, I think many would stop watching pirated content. The series aims to create awareness about the havoc film piracy creates in the film industry. That’s the ultimate goal.

Why is this a series and not a film?

Honestly, the content needed time because it deals with a lot of real incidents and people. To build many characters wouldn’t be possible with a film. It gets into the whole aspect of how their network functioned, which is pretty interesting. To address all these things, it had to be made as a series. Also, with a film, there are a lot of restrictions about what can be said. With this format, we were able to function with a lot of freedom. Personally, I had a lot of scope for my role, and people will be able to travel with my character Rudra.

This is your first web series.

True. I was initially skeptical about the format because it is an unknown territory for me. However, with Arivazhagan and an iconic production house like AVM, who are also making their series debut, I got the confidence. We have done our best. The production house needs no introduction and living up to their name, they have made it with no constraints. Also, web series have a different reach. The audience for this format is different. So, I will be able to cover this new demography with the series.

Can you name some of your films that took a hit because of Tamilrockers?

Not just one! All my films have faced the threat. Be it a good or a bad print, we were frustrated because of the menace. We still have a team to take down piracy websites, but they keep cropping up as Telegram channels and whatnot. I hope we find a fool-proof way with advancing technology to end it once and for all. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the people and their resolution to not watch pirated content. The change should begin from that end as well.

As a society, we don’t look down upon watching pirated content as a serious crime.

(Laughs) True. We (the Tamil film industry) are always in awe of the Telugu film industry for how they were able to control this menace. The reason behind their success is the audience and fans who were stubborn about not watching pirated content. They wanted to see their stars only in theatres. Like, I said the change should start from within. I hope this series makes some impact on that front. It shows not just the investigation but also the emotional aspect of filmmaking and the loss incurred due to film piracy.

Do you think since the advent of OTT film piracy has reduced?

Definitely. Since there’s an option for the audience to watch it legitimately, a lot of people are taking the right route. These are people who are not able to watch films in theatres due to busy schedules. They didn’t have such an option before, now with OTT, they do.

Oh My Dog is the only detour from your usual action films. Has the success of your Victor in Ajith’s Yennai Arindhaal (2015) made you choose only action films?

Action is my forte, and there’s a lot to explore in that zone. However, I don’t mind doing something as poignant as Oh My Dog. I do realise content is all that matters. So, I will try to be a part of good content.

Will we see another antagonist role like Victor from you?

People keep asking me if I will do a villain role again, but it depends on the role. I want to do something that surpasses Victor or something that’s on par with that role. I won’t settle for anything else.