Thirumalai director Ramana Chandrasekhar, in a new interview, shared that it was Thalapathy Vijay who came up with idea of the famous ‘cigarette’ scene in the film.
Superstar Thalapathy Vijay has delivered several hit films in his career spanning over three decades. One of his most successful films is Ramana Chandrasekhar’s 2003 film Thirumalai in which he was paired opposite Jyothika. The action entertainer is considered to be a turning point in Vijay’s career.
With the star’s terrific screen presence combined with Vidyasagar’s chartbuster music, the film enjoys a massive fan following even today. Vijay’s transformation into a mass action hero and his unique mannerism in this movie continues to impress them even today.
In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, the film’s director Ramana Chandrasekhar revealed that the scene where Vijay’s character Thirumalai pulls out the cigarette with his teeth from his shirt collar was actually conceived by the Varisu actor himself.
Chandrasekhar shared, “We shot a majority of the portions here in Chennai since we had put up a large set. A major reason for the film’s commercial success was one mannerism where Vijay pulls out the cigarette. Honestly speaking, I didn’t tell him. We were shooting a love scene on the first day at Muttukadu and during lunch break he called me. When I went over, he told me that had something to show and went on to act out how he would pull out the cigarette from his shirt collar. He then asked me if this can be added to the film without disturbing the story.”
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Revealing the reason why he calls this scene an unforgettable memory, the director continued, “It helped in making the film a hit. Similar to how Rajinikanth sir would flip a cloth over his shoulder or the stylish manner in which he would light up a cigarette, it was something to give his fan a small high. He did the homework to think about it. He told me that if it’s not needed for the film, it can be skipped altogether, but I said that I liked it. Although there are many sweet memories about making the film, it was this commercial input from him that will stay close to my heart.”
Thirumalai revolves around a car mechanic who falls in love with a girl from an affluent family.
