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Since it marked his first feature directorial venture after four years, Vetrimaaran’s Viduthalai Part 1 generated significant hype well before its release. Adding to the excitement was the fact that Soori, primarily known for comedic roles, was chosen as the lead of this period crime thriller, with Vijay Sethupathi also portraying a key character.
However, the film’s production faced unexpected challenges, and director Vetrimaaran recently shared insights into his chaotic process at the Film Companion director’s roundtable, leaving many of his contemporaries such as Karan Johar and Nelson Dilipkumar flabbergasted. Recalling his initial commitment to complete the project in 35 days, akin to his previous work Visaranai (2016), Vetrimaaran said that upon visiting the locations, he realised he could only accomplish 10 per cent of the film in 20 days. He reflected, “By then, we had already exhausted 70 per cent of the budget. The hill we chose for filming prohibited vehicle access, necessitating the manual transport of all equipment. Atop the hill, we set up tents for 250 people and installed 10-12 toilets for the villagers, so that we could also use them. One day, a severe storm arrived and dismantled all our tents. Upon returning to the ground, I came to the realisation that I can’t complete this project.”
“Then, I called the producer and asked him if we should consider working on something else. He reminded me that we had already expended a significant portion of the budget on this project and suggested that we continue with it. Since returning to the hillock posed difficulties, I assured him that I would find an alternative location to shoot those scenes. I envisioned that in this new setting, I could complete most portions of the film within 10 days. However, despite spending 40 days filming at the new location, I fell short of achieving what I initially anticipated finishing in 10 days. By that point, the budget had tripled from my initial estimate,” he said.
Mentioning that Vijay Sethupathi’s arrival brought relief to the producer, as it allowed the project to be sold at a better price, Vetrimaaran added, “Since he came, I started writing more. After 120 days of filming, I contacted my producer, suggesting we split the movie into two parts. Despite needing an additional 40 to 50 days, he encouraged me to continue shooting.”
“Once we decided to convert it into a two-part movie, a simple intermission sequence transformed into the main action sequence for the climax of the first part. We then revisited the opening portion of the film, which wasn’t working well, and shot another sequence that eventually became the 10-minute single-shot opening scene. Thus, we somehow managed to finish the first part. After the release of the first part, I am now wondering what to do with the sequel,” he said.
Pointing out that though the second part is ready and they are currently trying to send it to film festivals, the director expressed a sense that it lacked a certain element. Consequently, he proposed to the producer the idea of shooting for an additional 10 days, to which the producer agreed. However, having now spent 18 days on the additional shooting, the director still feels the need for another 35 days. This led Karan Johar, present at the Adda, to jokingly wonder who this producer was. “I believe we should worship this man,” Karan quipped, eliciting laughter from the others.
Vetrimaaran added that despite initially committing to completing the entire project within a budget of Rs 4.5 crore, the budget for the first part alone escalated to Rs 65 crore. “I didn’t have any clue of what I was going to shoot; I still don’t. Sometimes, I am very confused,” he admitted, expressing gratitude to his dedicated teams for their support throughout the production of his films.
He also mentioned that while he initially requested eight days from Vijay Sethupathi for the shoot, the actor has already dedicated 70 days to filming Viduthalai, prompting Jailer director Nelson to mention jokingly that Vetrimaaran was sabotaging his own career by making these revelations.
Discussing the 10-minute single-shot opening scene in Viduthalai Part 1, he explained, “Originally, that sequence wasn’t in the plan. However, as the budget increased, my producer called and suggested, ‘Since we’ve already invested this much, why hold back now?’ So, we started devising a plan. My art director built that bridge with engineers to hold the weight of actual train compartments. The construction took three months. I opt for long takes when I’m unsure about where to make cuts in a shot. I sought the help of my previous assistants, who had already become independent directors. There were 40-45 assistant directors. We rehearsed for 13 days. Unfortunately, during a break on one of the preparation days, a fighter attempted a rehearsal without the full team and tragically lost his life in an accident. We temporarily halted the shoot.”
In his review of Viduthalai Part 1, The Indian Express’ Kirubhakar Purushothaman wrote: “Vetrimaaran is back with another film about police brutality that is heart-wrenching and might be a hard watch if you prefer your safety zone.”
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