Director Bala has announced that actor Suriya and his production house 2D Entertainment will not be a part of his upcoming film Vanangaan, which was announced with much fanfare earlier this year.
The announcement of the film was widely welcomed by fans of both Suriya and director Bala, whose last few films have not done too well. This is primarily because Vanangaan was the first collaboration between the two after 2003’s Pithamagan.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Bala said that though he wished to direct Vanangaan with ‘his younger brother Suriya’, the changes in the story have made him question if it will be suitable for the actor.
“Suriya is fully trusting me and the story. However, as an elder brother, it is my duty to ensure that he doesn’t feel uneasy about anything. Therefore, Suriya and I have mutually decided that he withdraws from the film. Though he is unhappy about it, the decision has been taken to protect his interests,” he said.
Director Bala, however, said that work on Vanangaan will continue. Sharing Bala’s statement, 2D Entertainment, Suriya’s home banner and the production company that backed the project, said that the makers respect the feelings of the director. “We will always stand by Bala Anna,” read the tweet.
Bala and Suriya have previously collaborated on Pithamagan and Nandha (2001). The latter, which has Suriya portray a troubled right-hand man to a strong man played by Raj Kiran, was the actor’s first big break in Tamil cinema.
