Vettai
Encyclopedia
Vettai is an upcoming Indian Tamil action film written and directed by N. Linguswamy
, that stars Madhavan
, Arya
, Sameera Reddy
and Amala Paul
in the lead roles. The film revolves around two brothers settled in Thoothukudi
, with the elder one working as a police officer. The film score is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja
, while cinematography is by Nirav Shah
and editing handled by Anthony Gonsalves
.
The film became announced shortly after the release of Lingusamy's Paiyaa, with Dhayanidhi Alagiri's Cloud Nine Movies
agreeing to produce the film, following a successful collaboration during the director's previous film. During a lengthy pre-production phase, the film, however, underwent major changes in its main cast and Cloud Nine Movies stepped out of the project, with Linguswamy's own banner, Thirupathi Brothers
, taking up the film. The shooting of the film, initially planned to begin by mid-2010, commenced in March 2011 eventually, and is set to release on 23 December, 2011.
, who had distributed the film, announced a successive collaboration with the film's director N. Linguswamy
, who would make a romantic action film with Silambarasan in the lead role. For pre-production works, the crew of the team subsequently headed to Macau
to work out the script, following which Lingusamy moved to the Orange County resort in Coorg, Karnataka
to finalize the script. Later that month a photo shoot was completed, with Silambarsan sporting the get up of an NCC cadet
, However, in July 2010, reports suggested that Silambarasan was dropped from the project, since he suddenly, without informing Lingusamy and Dhayanidhi, signed and started filming on another project called Vaanam
. Silambarasan, in return, revealed that he hadn't officially signed Cloud Nine's film, and only decided to work on Vaanam, since Lingusamy wasn't able to narrate the complete script, despite making him wait for over 100 days. Controversially, Silambarasan later signed another film in September 2010, which was similarly titled as Vettai Mannan
.
Eventually in September 2010, the film was official announced at a press meet with the title Vettai, with Arya
replacing Silambarasan. At the press meet, he revealed that he worked for over three months on the script, keeping his editor Anthony Gonsalvez
and cinematographer Nirav Shah
updated about the developments. The film's principal photography was initially supposed to commence in June 2010, but due to pre-production works, it got delayed further and was postponed to December. The film was announced as a bilingual project, to be shot separately in Tamil and Telugu. The Telugu version was supposed to be produced by Tirupati Prasad of Mega Supergood Films and feature Mahesh Babu
in the lead role, with Madhavan reprising his role. In March 2011, Cloud Nine Movies stepped out of the project, which prompted Linguswamy to produce Vettai, too, under his home banner Thirupathi Brothers
along with his brother Subash Chandrabose.
was signed on to reprise the lead role. Furthermore, Linguswamy was trying to rope in Madhavan
for another leading role, while, several days later, sources reported that Madhavan definitely had rejected the offer. The next month, however, it was confirmed that Madhavan was roped in to enact the role as a police officer
and brother of Arya's character.
The lead female role was reported to be essayed by Tamannaah Bhatia, who had been part of Linguswamy's Paiyaa as well. In an interview later, she disclosed that she wasn't approached earlier and though she liked the script, she couldn't take the offer, due to her prior commitments. Anushka Shetty
then accepted the offer, while Sameera Reddy
was signed to play Madhavan
's pair in the film, as a village girl. In late November 2010, Anushka pulled out and Amala Paul
, following her critically acclaimed performance in Mynaa
, was roped in to essay a leading character, as the love interest of Arya's character.
, the first schedule was planned to begin on 2 March, which however, was also cancelled as Dhayanidhi wanted the filming to be pushed by another two months, which supposedly was the reason for Linguswamy's decision to produce the film himself. Shooting eventually started on 16 March 2011 in Karaikudi
, with Madhavan, Arya, Sameera Reddy and Amala Paul participating. A song "Dumma Dumma Dummaa", choreographed by Brindha, was shot first, with nearly 2000 people being part of the shoot along with the four lead actors. A fight sequence, involving Arya and Madhavan, was shot in Pondicherry University
sports complex on 24 April. In June 2011, other key action sequences were filmed at Madurai
, Thoothukudi
, Thanjavur and Aruppukottai. Introduction song of Madhavan and Arya was shot at Thanjavur bharath collage Fight sequence was shot at Andhra Pradesh.Climax fight scene was shot at Binny Mills.
and Yuvan Shankar Raja
would be joining again to produce film score and soundtrack for Vettai as well. In November 2010, the duo along with lyricist Na. Muthukumar
left for Malaysia to compose the first tunes.
N. Linguswamy
N. Linguswamy is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, working primarily in Tamil cinema based in Chennai. He made his directorial debut with the family-drama Aanandham in 2001 and followed it up with the highly successful action films Run , Sandakozhi , Bheema and Paiyaa...
, that stars Madhavan
R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
, Arya
Arya (actor)
Arya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...
, Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
and Amala Paul
Amala Paul
Amala Paul is an Indian film actress, who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. After appearing in supporting roles in a few low budget ventures, she was acclaimed for the portrayal of a controversial character in the film, Sindhu Samaveli...
in the lead roles. The film revolves around two brothers settled in Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi , also known as Tuticorin, is a port city and a Municipal Corporation in Thoothukudi district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thoothukudi is the headquarters of Thoothukudi District....
, with the elder one working as a police officer. The film score is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
, while cinematography is by Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film Paisa Vasool.-Career:...
and editing handled by Anthony Gonsalves
Anthony (film editor)
Anthony is a Tamil film editor. He has worked in over twenty Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu language films. This makes him one of the few editors to have worked for all the 3 biggest film industries in India.-Personal life:Anthony studied BA Lit in Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai...
.
The film became announced shortly after the release of Lingusamy's Paiyaa, with Dhayanidhi Alagiri's Cloud Nine Movies
Cloud Nine Movies
Cloud Nine Movies is a Tamil film production and distribution company, based in Chennai. It is owned by Dayanidhi Azhagiri and Vivek Rathinavel and was founded in 2008.-History:...
agreeing to produce the film, following a successful collaboration during the director's previous film. During a lengthy pre-production phase, the film, however, underwent major changes in its main cast and Cloud Nine Movies stepped out of the project, with Linguswamy's own banner, Thirupathi Brothers
Thirupathi Brothers
Thirupathi Brothers is a Tamil film production company owned by brothers N. Subash Chandrabose and N. Lingusamy and was founded in 2006.The company first produced the romantic film Deepavali, starring Jayam Ravi and Bhavana Menon in 2006, which was a moderate success...
, taking up the film. The shooting of the film, initially planned to begin by mid-2010, commenced in March 2011 eventually, and is set to release on 23 December, 2011.
Cast
- MadhavanR. MadhavanR. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
- AryaArya (actor)Arya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...
- Sameera ReddySameera ReddySameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
- Amala PaulAmala PaulAmala Paul is an Indian film actress, who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. After appearing in supporting roles in a few low budget ventures, she was acclaimed for the portrayal of a controversial character in the film, Sindhu Samaveli...
- Thambi RamaiahThambi RamaiahThambi Ramaiah is an Indian film actor and director, who works in the Tamil film industry. He directed the Vadivelu-starrer Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan; his performance in Mynaa, won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. Ramaiah has also been working occasionally as a...
- Ashutosh RanaAshutosh RanaAshutosh Rana , born Ashutosh Jaisingh Neekhra is an Indian actor working in the Hindi Film Industry and the Telugu Film Industry.-Biography:...
- Rajeev Ravindranathan
Development
In April 2010, following the success of Paiyaa, Cloud Nine MoviesCloud Nine Movies
Cloud Nine Movies is a Tamil film production and distribution company, based in Chennai. It is owned by Dayanidhi Azhagiri and Vivek Rathinavel and was founded in 2008.-History:...
, who had distributed the film, announced a successive collaboration with the film's director N. Linguswamy
N. Linguswamy
N. Linguswamy is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, working primarily in Tamil cinema based in Chennai. He made his directorial debut with the family-drama Aanandham in 2001 and followed it up with the highly successful action films Run , Sandakozhi , Bheema and Paiyaa...
, who would make a romantic action film with Silambarasan in the lead role. For pre-production works, the crew of the team subsequently headed to Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
to work out the script, following which Lingusamy moved to the Orange County resort in Coorg, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
to finalize the script. Later that month a photo shoot was completed, with Silambarsan sporting the get up of an NCC cadet
National Cadet Corps (India)
The National Cadet Corps is the Indian military cadet corps with its Headquarters at New Delhi. It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis....
, However, in July 2010, reports suggested that Silambarasan was dropped from the project, since he suddenly, without informing Lingusamy and Dhayanidhi, signed and started filming on another project called Vaanam
Vaanam
Vaanam is an Indian Tamil drama film written and directed by Krish. A remake of his 2010 Telugu film Vedam, the film features an ensemble cast of Silambarasan, Bharath, Anushka Shetty, Prakash Raj and Saranya...
. Silambarasan, in return, revealed that he hadn't officially signed Cloud Nine's film, and only decided to work on Vaanam, since Lingusamy wasn't able to narrate the complete script, despite making him wait for over 100 days. Controversially, Silambarasan later signed another film in September 2010, which was similarly titled as Vettai Mannan
Vettai Mannan
Vettai Mannan is an upcoming Tamil action film written and directed by debutante director Nelson. The film will feature Silambarasan, Jai, Hansika Motwani, Deeksha Seth and Poonam Kaur...
.
Eventually in September 2010, the film was official announced at a press meet with the title Vettai, with Arya
Arya (actor)
Arya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...
replacing Silambarasan. At the press meet, he revealed that he worked for over three months on the script, keeping his editor Anthony Gonsalvez
Anthony (film editor)
Anthony is a Tamil film editor. He has worked in over twenty Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu language films. This makes him one of the few editors to have worked for all the 3 biggest film industries in India.-Personal life:Anthony studied BA Lit in Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai...
and cinematographer Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film Paisa Vasool.-Career:...
updated about the developments. The film's principal photography was initially supposed to commence in June 2010, but due to pre-production works, it got delayed further and was postponed to December. The film was announced as a bilingual project, to be shot separately in Tamil and Telugu. The Telugu version was supposed to be produced by Tirupati Prasad of Mega Supergood Films and feature Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu born Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni on 9 August 1975 is an Indian film actor from Telugu Cinema. Born to Legendary Telugu actor Superstar Krishna, Mahesh Babu faced the camera at the age of four as a child artist in the movie Needa...
in the lead role, with Madhavan reprising his role. In March 2011, Cloud Nine Movies stepped out of the project, which prompted Linguswamy to produce Vettai, too, under his home banner Thirupathi Brothers
Thirupathi Brothers
Thirupathi Brothers is a Tamil film production company owned by brothers N. Subash Chandrabose and N. Lingusamy and was founded in 2006.The company first produced the romantic film Deepavali, starring Jayam Ravi and Bhavana Menon in 2006, which was a moderate success...
along with his brother Subash Chandrabose.
Casting
After Silambarasan's exit, Vijay was expected to enact the lead role, who had earlier agreed to star in a Lingusamy film in future, and was subsequently approached by the team. He, however, declined the offer, not willing to play a role that was "originally written keeping in mind the image of another actor". Only in September 2010, during the official announcement, it became apparent that AryaArya (actor)
Arya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...
was signed on to reprise the lead role. Furthermore, Linguswamy was trying to rope in Madhavan
R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
for another leading role, while, several days later, sources reported that Madhavan definitely had rejected the offer. The next month, however, it was confirmed that Madhavan was roped in to enact the role as a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
and brother of Arya's character.
The lead female role was reported to be essayed by Tamannaah Bhatia, who had been part of Linguswamy's Paiyaa as well. In an interview later, she disclosed that she wasn't approached earlier and though she liked the script, she couldn't take the offer, due to her prior commitments. Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu...
then accepted the offer, while Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
was signed to play Madhavan
R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
's pair in the film, as a village girl. In late November 2010, Anushka pulled out and Amala Paul
Amala Paul
Amala Paul is an Indian film actress, who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. After appearing in supporting roles in a few low budget ventures, she was acclaimed for the portrayal of a controversial character in the film, Sindhu Samaveli...
, following her critically acclaimed performance in Mynaa
Mynaa
The film score and soundtrack for Mynaa was composed by D. Imman. The album consists of 5 tracks, featuring lyrics penned by Yugabharathi and Eknaath. The songs, especially the title track, had become very popular, while the album was widely considered Imman's finest work yet.-Awards:...
, was roped in to essay a leading character, as the love interest of Arya's character.
Filming
Originally planned to commence in June 2010, the filming was postponed several times either due to pending pre-production works and unavailibility of the artists. After Arya had finished shooting and dubbing for Avan IvanAvan Ivan
Avan Ivan is a 2011 Tamil comedy-drama film written and directed by Bala, who with this project directs his fifth feature film. The film stars Vishal Krishna, Arya, Janani Iyer and Madhu Shalini in the lead roles. The film, produced by Kalpathi S. Agoram's AGS Entertainment, features music by...
, the first schedule was planned to begin on 2 March, which however, was also cancelled as Dhayanidhi wanted the filming to be pushed by another two months, which supposedly was the reason for Linguswamy's decision to produce the film himself. Shooting eventually started on 16 March 2011 in Karaikudi
Karaikudi
Karaikudi is a town in Sivaganga District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Chettinad literally 'Chetti land' in Tamil, is a collection of 76 villages/towns. Chettinad stretched from Ramnad District and Pudukottai State of 'British' India. The Chettiars, or more properly the Nattukottai...
, with Madhavan, Arya, Sameera Reddy and Amala Paul participating. A song "Dumma Dumma Dummaa", choreographed by Brindha, was shot first, with nearly 2000 people being part of the shoot along with the four lead actors. A fight sequence, involving Arya and Madhavan, was shot in Pondicherry University
Pondicherry University
Pondicherry University is a Central University in Pondicherry, India. Founded in 1985 by the Government of India,has emerged as India's fastest growing Central University and it is an affiliating University with a jurisdiction spread over the Union Territories of Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and...
sports complex on 24 April. In June 2011, other key action sequences were filmed at Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi , also known as Tuticorin, is a port city and a Municipal Corporation in Thoothukudi district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thoothukudi is the headquarters of Thoothukudi District....
, Thanjavur and Aruppukottai. Introduction song of Madhavan and Arya was shot at Thanjavur bharath collage Fight sequence was shot at Andhra Pradesh.Climax fight scene was shot at Binny Mills.
Soundtrack
Following a highly successful collaboration in Paiyaa, N. LinguswamyN. Linguswamy
N. Linguswamy is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, working primarily in Tamil cinema based in Chennai. He made his directorial debut with the family-drama Aanandham in 2001 and followed it up with the highly successful action films Run , Sandakozhi , Bheema and Paiyaa...
and Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
would be joining again to produce film score and soundtrack for Vettai as well. In November 2010, the duo along with lyricist Na. Muthukumar
Na. Muthukumar
Na. Muthukumar is a Tamil poet and lyricist, who writes lyrics for Tamil film songs.-Career:Muthukumar began his career wanting to be a director and worked under Balu Mahendra for four years. But then he became a lyricist, beginning with the lyrics for the songs of the Tamil film Veera Nadai,...
left for Malaysia to compose the first tunes.