Maddy back in Tamil with ‘Irudhi’
The audio launch ceremony of this bilingual in Tamil and Hindi was held in Chennai
For those still besotted with the sweet guy Manu of franchise, gear up for a surprise. The chocolate boy hero knocks away this image as a rugged looking boxing coach in his upcoming sports drama. This bilingual titled Irudhi Suttru (in Tamil) and Saala Khadoos (in Hindi) is directed by Sudha Kongara.
At the music launch ceremony held in Chennai last Friday, Madhavan, or Maddy , as he’s known, was the centre of everyone’s attention. Director Kongara revealed that the film was in the making for two years and marred by road-blocks. Thanking him for his efforts in taking the film to the next level, she revealed that it was Maddy who roped in Bollywood’s Rajkumar Hirani [of Munnabhai fame].
Maddy plays a retired boxing coach who mentors a young fisherwoman, Madhi. Rithika Singh, a national champion in kick-boxing and a martial arts fighter from Mumbai, faces the camera for the first time to play Madhi. Going by the trailers and the song sequence, she is an actor to watch out for.
Mumtaz Sorcar, a Bengali actress who is the daughter of legendary magician P. C. Sorcar, makes her Tamil debut as Madhi’s sister, Lakshmi. The supporting cast includes Tamil actors Nasser, Radha Ravi and Kali.
Madhavan, whose last Tamil film was Vettai, said that he had not gone anywhere, but was waiting for the right script.
“I wanted to play someone who will leave viewers in awe. This coach, though retired from fighting, has warrior looks. So I had to beef up my muscles. At a point my biceps were so big that I was finding it difficult to brush my teeth. I went to the US to train in boxing. My character has a lisp in his talk and to do that I have been wearing braces for the past two years to get that lisp. Sudha’s [Kongara] research on this story is comprehensive and impressive. We have shot the film realistically. In the climax scene, the audience will not be able to sit still but will unconsciously get into back seat boxing.”
The Hindi title, Saala Khadoos, refers to a mentor who is a tough taskmaster and is a pain to work with. He recalled how Kamal Haasan was a saala khadoos in Anbe Sivam.
Hirani, the producer of the Hindi version, recalled that the journey of Saala Khadoos began two years ago with a call from Madhavan late in the night. “He wanted to come home to discuss something.” Presuming it be some kind of emergency, Hirani was unprepared when Maddy revealed that he had a script to discuss. Twenty minutes later, Hirani came on board. “I was excited about working in a combination of Tamil and Hindi cinema and I now look forward to working more with technicians from the south,” said the director.
Sivakumar Vijayan, former assistant of P. C. Sreeram, enters the industry as the cinematographer. Vijayan, who had assisted Sreeram on the set of Alaipayuthe, (featuring a younger Madhavan) said the challenge in Irudhi Suttru was capturing Maddy in a completely different look.
Both versions of the film will release in the UAE on January 28.