Thaanaa Serndha Koottam: Suriya says there will be no smoking/drinking disclaimer in the film

It’s been seven years since Suriya had a festival release. After director AR Murugadoss’ 7aum Arivu, which hit screens on Diwali 2011, Thaanaa Serndha Koottam, which is all set for a Pongal release on 12 January, marks his second festival film in the last eight years. The team organized a pre-release event yesterday in Chennai with the entire cast and crew in attendance, although composer Anirudh Ravichander, who is busy working round the clock on re-recording, was conspicuous by his absence.

Suriya started his speech by wishing Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Vishal who have entered the political arena in the last two months. “We all have been keenly watching Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Vishal's decisions of late. They all have our support. I wish them a very good luck in their endeavors."

Thaanaa Serndha Koottam is produced by KE Gnanavel Raja’s Studio Green, who has earlier bankrolled Suriya’s Sillunu Oru Kadhal, Singam, Masss and lastly Singam 3 in 2017. Talking about his long-standing collaboration with Gnanavel, Suriya said, "I have done 35 films now. There's a lot of important filmmakers and fans who shaped my career. But, there is one person who played a significant role in this entire journey. It's my brother Gnanavel. He always cared about my well-being from the beginning. The choices and decisions he made and the directors he picked for me have played a crucial part in my career."

“Every day was a new experience for me in Thaanaa Serndha Koottam,” says Suriya

Suriya, who is teaming up with director Vignesh Shivan for the first time, lauded his working style and how he approaches everything with a positive mindset. “Vignesh Shivan is quite a positive person. The roles I have played always used to have a tinge of anger. But Vignesh changed it completely. He made me a silent and sensible person with this character. Every day was a new experience for me. There were times when I experienced difficulties in dialogue delivery and was stuck. I used to take time and deliver it properly. I believe there's a lot of freshness in the film. I have received encouraging feedback from everyone regarding my look in this film. Everyone said it's the Suriya they had been waiting to see on screen. The entire credits for my look go to Vignesh. It's entirely his stamp."

“Thaanaa Serndha Koottam is majorly different from my previous films,” says Suriya
Talking about having a festival release after a long time, Suriya said, "It's been seven years since I had a festival release. It's always an ecstatic feeling to entertain audiences during the festival time. Vignesh Shivan has captured the festive mood very well and has presented a film which everyone will enjoy. There will be no smoking/drinking disclaimer card in the movie. Even the censor board members appreciated Vignesh and said it's been a long time since they watched a film like that. Despite a lot of pressure, he has handled everything calmly and sensibly. I'm eagerly waiting to see the excitement of audiences in theaters. It's been a long time since I watched the FDFS (First Day First Show) of my films. I always used to watch my movies two days after the release because of the anxiety. I'm going to watch Thaanaa Serndha Koottam FDFS in theaters this time. This film made me remember my struggling days. There's a lot of positive things in the movie to take back home. Despite the fact that the film is set in the '80s period, Vignesh has done splendid work to ensure it connects with contemporary audiences. TSK is majorly different from my previous films."

“I’m sure you won’t find many shades of Special 26 in Thaanaa Serndha Koottam,” says director Vignesh Shivan

Director Vignesh Shivan reiterated once again that they had bought the remake rights of Special 26 legally before working on the project. “I wanted to write an original script. I desired to have every frame conceived by me. But due to time constraints, we had to opt for adaptation. We believe we have made an entertaining film for the Pongal festival,” he said.

Talking about how Suriya’s Kaakha Kaakha inspired him, Vignesh said, “Kaakha Kaakha was a movie which impressed a lot of aspiring filmmakers to enter the industry. I was carrying my school bag then. To think that I've directed Suriya sir now feels extremely good. I was always thinking to deliver an entertaining film. I believe we have made what we had set out to do."

Also starring Keerthy Suresh as the lead heroine, Thaanaa Serndha Koottam features Ramya Krishnan, Suresh Menon, Senthil, RJ Balaji and Sathyan in important roles. The film is slated to hit screens worldwide in Tamil and Telugu on January 12th.