At the Madharaasi audio launch, director A.R. Murugadoss spoke with warmth and wit, praising Sivakarthikeyan’s journey, Anirudh’s music, and the dedication of his cast and crew. He shared candid anecdotes, highlighted the film’s USP, and expressed confidence that Madharaasi will strike a powerful chord with audiences. Here is what he said:

At every audio launch, there’s always a question — what to speak? A friend told me not to give a big build-up, and another warned me not to be too quiet, or people might think I don’t believe in my own film.

The starting point of Madharaasi is Sivakarthikeyan. Years ago, we decided to do a film together, but by the time I finished writing, his range had already gone to another level. SK is an inspiration to every youngster who dreams of taking a bus to Chennai to become an actor.

While Madharaasi under production la avaru kaiyila Thuppakki ah vera kuduthutanga, padathula romba gettiyave puduchurukaru.

Anirudh is truly the second hero of this movie. He started the trend where audiences came out of theatres praising the BGM. Even when I feel low, I listen to his Vikram score. Like how Vijay sir elevates a dialogue beyond expectation, Anirudh brings the same magic with music — you’ll witness that new dimension on September 5th.

For the heroine’s role, I had initially confirmed two big actresses. But after watching Rukmini Vasanth’s Kannada film SSE, I immediately signed her. Vidyut Jamwal, who became a hero in Hindi after Thuppakki, returned to Tamil only for Madharaasi as the villain. I’ve always admired Biju Menon’s powerful voice — we considered dubbing artists, but nothing matched, so he dubbed in his own voice.

Hats off to our cameraman Sudheep. He’s adventurous — always either in the air or underwater. Once, during shoot, his finger got cut off. While his assistants searched for it, I was deeply worried. The very next day, he sent me a photo with a thumbs-up — his assistants had found his finger!

Together with my team, I’ve written a story we truly believe in and shaped it in our style. You will be the final judges after watching. Madharaasi is not a message film, but it’s a warning — a reminder that such threats could arise in our country, and we must remain cautious.

I’ve retained SK’s biggest strength — humour — but also pushed him into the next level with action. Just like Rajini sir, Amitabh sir, and Vijay sir have embodied the Angry Young Man, I believe SK will strike the same chord in Madharaasi. And just like my cameos in Vijay films, I’ve felt a special vibe with SK too — so you’ll see me appear in a small shot here as well.”