A.R. Murugadoss on his latest venture, ‘Thupakki’ and what the message he wants the film to convey

A.R. Murugadoss hates wasting time; whenever he finds free time he uses it constructively either to finish off a pending work or plan a project in Tamil or Hindi. Thupakki happened during one such phase when he had time off from Ghazini. It was originally supposed to be in Hindi with Akshay Kumar but since he had Vijay’s dates on hand, the film went to the sets immediately. Now Thupakki in Telugu and Thupakki Tamil is releasing during Deepavali. Soon after this, he will move to Mumbai to shoot the Hindi version.

Currently the re-recording, editing and background score is on and the director squeezes in a few minutes to talk about the project. Ask him when he will direct a film for his home banner and he says, “Films from my banner are all joint productions. Our target is to make three films a year and the purpose is to encourage new talent. For Evaraina Eppudaina, we introduced a director and a music director. Sharvanand was a fresh face in Tamil cinema, Jai and Anjali got a break and overall some artiste or a technician needs to gain from it. I always strive to give something fresh and cater to all segments of the audience.”
Murugadoss reveals he wanted to rope in Allari Naresh as the hero’s friend but since the actor was busy they got Tamil actor Satyan to play the role. He adds that a thupakki or gun has many meanings; it could be used for security and destruction and conveys different meanings to people in different situations. “Here it directly implies the weapon of the Army. People are saying it deals with the 26/11 attacks but it isn’t true. Our country is vulnerable and we are all susceptible to attack. This film is a warning and an indirect message to be alert. I would describe the movie as a modern entertainer and it has a single hero subject.Tagore Like Ghazini, it has a parallel track. One is fun and love and the other is hero pitted against the villain. It has entertainment and partly a serious story.”
The director says Vijay was preferred over the rest as the hero as he is a super star with a huge fan following but at the same time looks like a common man. Mumbai was preferred for its defence backdrop. < “The story has not been inspired by any one person or any book. Not a single shot was taken in Chennai. The art direction, the junior artistes, police vehicles were all from Mumbai for feasibility. The hero is a mentally strong man, and Kajal is full of life. We did lot of research and gathered news from internet and books. The audience will enjoy it thoroughly. The love track will be fun and climax and the scene before interval will thrill one and all.” he adds.