Tamil star Vijay and director Venkat Prabhu are planning on resurrecting late veteran actor and politician Vijayakant using Artificial Intelligence in their upcoming film, The Greatest of All Time.
In an exclusive interview with Galatta Media, Vijayakant’s wife and DMDK leader Premalatha Vijayakanth said that Venkat sought the family’s permission to resurrect the late actor in the upcoming film and that Vijay has expressed his wish to meet the family in person after the upcoming general elections to discuss the same.
“I thought of what Captain would have said had he been with us. It was Captain who introduced Vijay in Senthoorapandi, and Captain had huge respect and great love for both Vijay and his father SA Chandrasekhar. That is why even when there were so many directors to work with, he chose to do 17 films with SA Chandrasekhar. If Captain was alive, he would definitely agree for such a request,” said Premalatha.
“I also know Venkat since he was a child; I have been close to Ilaiyaraaja sir’s family. So, Vijay said he will meet me when the election is over, and I have promised to share good news with them about this,” added the DMDK leader.
The Greatest of All Time is produced by Kalpathi S Aghoram’s AGS Entertainment. The film has music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and the first single from the movie, ‘Whistle Podu,’ was released by the makers on Sunday. Notably, the film marks a reunion for Vijay and Yuvan after Pudhiya Geethai (2003).
The film boasts a star-studded cast that includes Meenakshi Chaudhary, Prabhu Deva, Prashanth, Sneha, Laila, Vaibhav, Mohan, Jayaram and Ajmal Ameer. Speculated to be a sci-fi thriller, the film is set to release in theatres this year on September 5.
It is noteworthy to mention that with this film, Venkat, who helmed Ajith Kumar’s 2011 blockbuster Mankatha, joins the coveted list of a handful of directors who have made films for both Vijay and his rival Ajith — AR Murugadoss, Vasanth Sai, SJ Suryah, KS Ravikumar, Vikraman, Ezhil, AL Vijay, and Perarasu.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Vijay took the political plunge and announced the formation of his political party Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam. Positioning himself against the politics of “corruption” and “divisiveness”, Vijay declared that his party would enter the electoral fray in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Vijayakant was a stalwart who enthralled cinema fans in a career spanning over three decades, and the only actor after M.G.R. to achieve a measure of success in politics with a self-established party. Called affectionately as ‘Captain’ or ‘Puratchi Kalaignar,’ Vijayakant passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on December 28, 2023.
Published - April 16, 2024 03:38 pm IST
