Reporting by Janani K; Photos by Sriram Narasimhan. Photos from the press meet are below the report.
After the film’s audio launch, the Irudhi Suttru team make their way to Prasad Labs for the press meet. In attendance are director Sudha Kongara Prasad, Rajkumar Hirani and Madhavan. The last with his trademark dapper smile.
Sudha Kongara Prasad worked on the film for two and a half years. When she showed the reference shots to Madhavan, he was moved to tears. Both versions (Tamil and Hindi) were shot in just 44 days. UTV Dhananjayan, one of the film’s producers, was very excited about how much work and training had gone into Madhavan’s look for Irudhi Suttru. He said, “Madhavan and I became close to each other while shooting for Vettai. To my knowledge, Madhavan started preparing for his role in 2012 itself. He had a ligament injury, repaired it, and then went to the US to study his part for Irudhi Suttru.”
Everyone had one big question for Madhavan, “How does it feel to be back in the Tamil industry?” He said, “I never left. I am just konjam (a little) lazy. While working on Irudhi Suttru, I made more than 10 genuine friends. Now, the real battle is to release the film successfully.” Madhavan also said that boxing was an inexpensive sport, and was one way for economically disadvantaged people to get a government job.
Irudhi Suttru’s visuals are outstanding for their raw freshness. Cinematographer Sathish Surya, of Vidiyum Munn fame, said, “After seeing Alaipayuthey, I wanted to become a cinematographer. I assisted PC Sreeram for three and a half years. Irudhi Suttru is my second film and I wanted to work with a different genre. I was given a lot of freedom and in turn I could use different techniques.”
Actress Mumtaz, who plays Ritika’s sidekick in Irudhi Suttru, talked about her closeness with Chennai. She said, “When I was young, I came to Chennai as my father’s daughter. Now, I am here as myself, trying to create an identity for myself.” Director Sudha Kongara Prasad was brief as usual, “Irudhi Suttru has been an exhausting, but exhilarating experience.”
Media shy music director Santhosh Narayanan said, “I was given unlimited resources, time and freedom. At least one of these aspects has to be controlled for a music director to deliver the songs. But, the unlimited time ultimately helped us deliver better. When Sudha approached me, I asked her if this was like every other sports film. Sudha has maintained a striking balance between realism and commercial aspects.”
Rajkumar Hirani said he was ready to work with Kollywood talent, but wouldn’t sign up to direct a Tamil film, as he doesn’t speak the language.
