Pushing the bar higher

Bringing Vijayendra Prasad on board

"I really liked his story for Bajrangi Bhaijaan. I met him right after that and expressed an interest to work with him. He was also more than willing and we jointly collaborated on the screenplay. No one can take solo credit for Mersal's screenplay."

Mersal's humongous budget

"Discussions never begin with the budget. Any good producer will start with asking about the story; budget considerations come into the picture only later."

The three prominent heroines and a stylish SJ Suryah

"Nithya Menen's role is very key in the story and holds a lot of emotional significance. I'm sure Samantha and Kajal would have also jumped on it, had I narrated Nithya's role to them. Samantha would be unlike what we saw of her in Theri or her other films. She plays an 'area ponnu' who looks classy but is 'local' in her outlook. Kajal appears in the Europe segment of the film and as the song says, she'll be an 'icy doll'. With SJ Suryah sir, it's a comfortable brotherly feeling that I share. I saw his Kushi close to 12 times in theatre and that film inspired me to make Raja Rani."

The shift from GV Prakash to AR Rahman

"The writing demanded Rahman sir's score. But, we didn't have much time on our hands, as we were set to start shooting in Feb. At the Kanithan audio launch, Rahman sir surprised me by saying 'I'm hearing a lot about you man'. I then took an appointment, met him during the time of Theri and even narrated some stories to him, which he liked. But Mersal's story is different and not what I told him back then. When I finally met him for Mersal, he was fine with just about everything and was so sweet. He said he'll deliver one song each month, from April to July; we planned and shuffled accordingly. It has been a lifetime experience working with Rahman sir."

The sensational 'Aalaporaan Tamizhan'

"'Aalaporaan Tamizhan' is our anthem for the Tamil language, dedicated to all Tamizhans living the world over. Rahman sir liked this idea of a Tamil anthem like how he had done 'Vande Mataram. Lyricist Vivek came up with the title line in just 5 mins and we were floored. I even thought of changing the title from Mersal to 'Aalaporaan Tamizhan'. Visually, it'll be the best song in my career till date and I've put the maximum efforts for this number."

Vijay anna, like none other

"In the period portions, set in Madurai, Vijay anna plays a character named 'Thalapathy'. He is the village head and also a wrestler. We shot for a fight scene in unbearable heat in Rajasthan. At 55+ deg C, the skin will start to burn in just 10 mins, but Vijay anna pulled it off. No one could have done what he did. There will be 12 solid action blocks in the film totally. His punch lines won't be forced; they will be driven by facts and emotions. We have attempted a wholesome film like 'Indian'. We are eager to see how the masses receive it."

Reaction to comments on his films being inspired / borrowed from classics

"I take my stories from the people and don't bother when reviewers say that my films are borrowed from yesteryear classics. If the film runs, people like it, the producer makes money and I get my next film, that's all that matters. It's actually a proud feeling when my films are spoken in the same length as legendary films like Mouna Raagam and Sathriyan. But I do take valid negative points from reviews and work on them."

Extending the dream with Rajini next?

"As rumoured, I haven't met Rajini sir yet for a story narration session. But we are always in touch and he is very keen to know updates from my films. I had worked with both Vijay anna and Rajini sir as an assistant director with Shankar sir. Now, I have done 2 films with Vijay anna, and in the same way it would be a dream come true to direct Rajini sir too. People like me literally grew up seeing his films."