‘Thalai’ sends heads rolling

In an exclusive chat, Ajith tells why he disbanded fan clubs. Fans plan protest march in Chennai.
Birthdays are august occasions for the stars to boost their image and fan following. But not for Ajith. On his 40th birthday last Sunday, the Tamil actor – popularly called Thalai — did the unthinkable by deciding to disband his all his fan clubs across the state.  Remember, Ajith has the most number of fan clubs after Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu.  What was the trigger? For the first time after he took the “shocking decision”, Thalai has opened up to Bangalore Mirror, “It was a tough decision, but I had to take it. My fans associations have always been involved in philanthropic work. I really took pride in that. But of late, especially during the election time, I came to know that some members of my fans’ association had started misusing my name with reference to certain political parties. I came to know that even some monetary transactions took place in the context.”    Though the actor has not named any particular party, it is learnt that some of the fans have started campaigning for the AIADMK-led front.   The actor said, “I am finishing my 50th film Mankatha. I shall be failing in my duty if I fail to sincerely thank all those who have been associated in shaping my career so far. I thank all my fans, directors and well-wishers.”  He added, “I have never exploited my fans’ goodwill for professional or personal advancement.”  Calling a spade a spade has been Ajith’s hallmark always. Last year, when the entire Tamil film fraternity had gathered in Chennai with a view to honouring  Chief Minister Karunanidhi, Ajith had shocked everyone by his plain talk. Starting from Rajinikanth to Kamal, all the stars showered praises on the DMK leader. Ajith said film stars, who are busy shooting elsewhere, should not be forced to attend such felicitations as it not only disturbs the work schedule, but also enhances the cost of production. The entire stadium fell silent before Rajinikanth rose from his seat and started clapping, much to the surprise of the crowd. Sources say fans from Sivagangai are now planning to meet Ajith and request him to reconsider his decision. If the star does not relent, they will stage a protest in front of his residence in Chennai. Source:bangaloremirror.com

May 4 - Mankatha paper ad

Thy name is Vinayak - Director Venkat Prabhu Interview

In a chat with CT, Venkat Prabhu talks about Ajith’s character in his film and more

V Lakshmi

Director Venkat Prabhu is gearing up for the last schedule of his Mankatha with Ajith. Talking exclusively to CT, Venkat says, “We just have to shoot the climax of the film and a lengthy action sequence. We’ll start after May 10 and finish them at a stretch. We might also go to Bangkok for a chase sequence. If all goes well, the film should release by June.”

THREE SCRIPTS FOR AJITH

Mankatha will be a landmark film in Ajith’s career as it is his 50th film. I had written three scripts for Ajith, but he chose Mankatha. I was a little apprehensive because Ajith’s character in the film, Vinayak Mahadevan, has shades of grey. In fact, I can say he’s the villain in the film. But anna, as I call Ajith, calmed me down and said this would be perfect for his 50th film. He jokingly said that he had no political ambitions and that he could afford to be politically incorrect. Also, Ajith likes Heath Ledger a lot and loves his portrayal of negative characters. So, Ajith was convinced he could pull off Vinayak.

ENSEMBLE CAST

Arjun plays a cop, Prithvi, in the film. The role is extremely powerful and we first approached Nagarjuna for it. He was kicked about it and even wanted to make the film in Telugu, in which he wanted to play Ajith’s role. But we couldn’t work out dates and I couldn’t think of a better person than Arjun to play a cop. It was also nice of Trisha, Lakshmi Rai, Anjali and Andrea to agree to be a part of this film, despite knowing that the film’s dominated by male stars.

SALT ‘N’ PEPPER

Ajith loves to experiment with his looks. He had sideburns in Aasal and a beard in Aegan. We wanted a different look for him in our film and Vasuki Baskar, our costume designer and stylist, zeroed in on a salt and pepper look, a la George Clooney, for Ajith. What’s interesting is that at the same time, Ajith also sent us a couple of looks inspired from Clooney. After seeing him in the film, I’m sure men will stop dying their hair black!

THE SINGLE ACT

When we were shooting in Dharavi, Ajith sprained his leg. He had to walk with the help of crutches and despite the pain, shot for a chase sequence. He will be seen sporting a cast and crutch in it. Somehow, those stills were circulated on the Internet and rumours started spreading that Ajith plays a dual role and one is that of a physically-challenged person!

BIRTHDAY SPECIAL

Though I couldn’t release the film or its audio on on Ajith’s birthday (May 1), I wanted to surprise him and hence, at 12 am on May 1, I released the song trailer of Mankatha on a popular video sharing website!

Source: Times of India (Dated: 2-5-2011)

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