The film does as well as the audience wants it to do or as well
as Ajith fans wants it to do so obviously the sequel would be on the way
See there the fans are very loyal. Ajith fan remains a loyal Ajith fan. A Rajni fan remains a
loyal Rajni fan. He may like Ajith’s film, he may like Vijay’s film. A Vijay fan remains the
loyal Vijay fan. He may like, appreciate Ajith films but such loyalty of the fans is not seen
across the heartland of India
This film which my father had made Shehzada with Rajesh Khanna. There was a premier in
Calcutta, there was so much crowd right outside the hotel
that he could not step out. Lakhs of people
Same thing happened even where Amitabh is concerned
and I’ve seen the same thing happening with Salman is concerned
Whenever Ajith come to my house in Chennai, there is a crowd outside so that's the reason he
wears a cap, he comes in a very ordinary car and the car comes
right inside the house so that nobody outside knows that he's come
So, there are many such surprises in the film and our film will not have just football, football,
football. It is got a lot of emotions with the players, the
family, the husband, the wife, the children, a lot of elements
Salman has spoken so is better. He's the best person to talk to
Hi guys this is Himesh and welcome to Pinkvilla. Today we have with us the show man
Boney Kapoor sir with us. Welcome to Pinkvilla sir, it’s lovely having you here. And
congratulations on Valimai, the response so far has been outstanding
Well, let's hope it remains outstanding even post release.
I’m sure I mean, sir, my first question to you is you know Valimai has been in making for so
long and it has been anticipated all across. Like we have seen people asking Valimai update
globally. Now that the film is finally up for release, what do
you have to share about the world of the film?
First of all, let me correct you. It's not going on for so long. We started the shooting of the
film in October 2019 and as you know from March onwards, the whole world came to a
standstill. So obviously we had to stop shooting. We had done about 30-40% of the
film, stopped shooting. Then there was an opening we resumed shooting again. Thanks to my
crew, my hero Ajith, my director who were motivated to start shooting as soon as the
situation became nearly, almost normal. When they opened up you know the different
protocols that the government had imposed upon people in different states they were being
relaxed and when they were getting relaxed so we sort of got an opening, film shootings are
allowed so we started resumed shoot again. Ajith let the entire crew in a manner that, let's
start shooting because there were people who were sceptical that it can happen again a
complete 100% isn’t gone but he was there and so was the director, Vinoth and his team. So,
I mean we started shooting again. Again, the second wave came in and then since this is a
film which has a huge canvas. It has a lot of lot of characters, a huge canvas and a good
amount of action and elaborate action which needed you know enough number of days
obviously we had to wait patiently for the second wave to go then restart again. And the
director had conceptualized a particular sequence to be shot
with the you know stuntmen from overseas
First, we thought we'll get them here, then we thought no we'll go there, with the Covid
situation we were you know planning maybe Spain, maybe France there were many
countries, many options which came up. Finally, we shot in Russia and we matched Russia to Tamil Nadu
And everything went on well, of course the period has stretched from a year, from the start to
finish it probably has stretched to about two years, a little more than two years. And even
after the film was announced for release after it is complete, the film is lying complete since
November. We announced the Pongal date but then the third
The third wave or the Omicron which came up again the restrictions were in place. We had to
respect the government; we have to respect the system. So, we held back our release. Mind
you, the film was you know censored too but we had to hold back. So, these are the
challenges we faced and not just me I think the whole world has faced
And sir, what do you have to say about the world of Valimai,
like what can the fans expect in terms of the premise of the film?
The premise of the film cannot be described in one line. It's a wholesome entertainer, the
subject has enough for everybody. It has got family emotions, it has got brothers emotion, it
has got friendships emotion. It has a lot of action, it has good v/s evil, it has the hero working
towards cleansing of the evil in our system, the society so it has all those things, all those
elements which make commercial cinema more interesting
Correct. And sir you know since the trailer has come out another chatter which has been
going on in the industry is the possibility of turning it into a franchise because he's playing a
cop and there's so much action in there and these ideas, these subjects often have the potential
of being into a franchisee. Have you thought on those fronts already?
We've not thought, we never thought of it. But of late since you've read it in various
platforms or various media, this has been coming up thought has reached my mind. And I’m
sure it has reached the mind of the director too. So, let's hope the film does as well as the
audience wants it to do or as well as Ajith fans wants it to do
so obviously the sequel would be on the way
How would you describe your bond with Ajith Kumar? You have done a film with him; this
is your second and there's a third one already in the pipeline so
Maybe there could be a fourth one too
We get along very well. He's a fantastic actor, a professional to the core, very dedicated, very
focused, very sincere and I respect him, he respects me, there's a good bond. So, it's always
comfortable working with the person who knows you and whom you know well and the
relationship is growing. So, we've had a good journey so far
and I’m sure the journey ahead will even get better
And sir you know I remember in 2019 you had gone to Chennai to watch Viswasam and you
know to see the frenzy, what are your plans for Valimai like?
Since it's your own film, like how do you plan to watch it?
I'm sure you have seen it already but
Well, I plan to watch it in Chennai first. You know in Chennai films of Ajith and a couple of
other stars, the fans want to see the film, before the week is over. A couple of actors whose
films probably released in Thursday before Friday and that too some of them release at one in
the morning, some of them release at four in the morning, some of them so I’m hoping the
same kind of frenzy is there, the same kind of demand is there from the fans. And we don't
have any such restrictions from the authorities. So, we also would probably follow the set
pattern of these couple of you know Ajith, Vijay you know these superstars from south, their
films and down in Andhra too in the Telegu industry also. So is the case in Kannada and
Malayalam industry. See, there the fans are very loyal. Ajith fan remains a loyal Ajith fan. A
Rajni fan remains a loyal Rajni fan. He may like Ajith’s film, he may like Vijay’s film. A
Vijay fan remains the loyal Vijay fan. He may like, appreciate Ajith films but such loyalty of
the fans is not seen across the heartland of India. Here in heartland their loyalties shift
It's film to film basis
You see they can be fans of three four actors together
And this transition has happened especially in the last five to six years because before that we
still saw the loyal fandom for the stars from 90s or maybe
even say till a Hrithik Roshan. After that it has shifted if we look at it
No. I think this kind of fan following what South has now yeah, the last person to have this
kind of following was, it reached its peak with Rajesh Khanna
but the last one to have had this kind of fan following was Amitabh
I mean Rajesh Khanna, I’ve worked with Rajesh Khanna, I’ve worked with Amitabh
Bachchan also, I’ve worked with Salman Khan also but the kind of frenzy I have seen with
Rajesh Khanna. Whenever he used to come to our house, I remember this film which my
father had made Shehzada with Rajesh Khanna. There was a premier in Calcutta, there was
so much crowd right outside the hotel that he could not step out. Lakhs of people
Same thing happened even where Amitabh is concerned and I’ve seen the same thing
happening with Salman is concerned for Wanted, for one of the events, we were in Calcutta to
attend an event at the football stadium. We reached the football stadium but then
police had to request us to leave because you know people who were inside were just to the
capacity but people outside were 10 times more than what the capacity was inside. So, we
could not even you know go through the entire event. We were made to leave. So, you know
Salman also has that kind of loyal fans, Shah Rukh also has got like loyal fans, Aamir also
has but the frenzy of Rajesh Khanna. Frenzy of you know before Rajesh Khanna, I didn’t
witness. I witnessed Rajesh Khanna’s frenzy, likewise I have witnessed Bhagyaraj’s frenzy.
When he used to come to my house in Chembur, I don't know how the South Indian
community used to get to know that he's come and the entire you know you could see a sea of
all South Indian fans of Bhagyaraj waiting to have a glimpse of his
And you see today, whenever Ajith come to my house in Chennai, there is a crowd outside so
that's the reason he wears a cap, he comes in a very ordinary car and the car comes right
inside the house so that nobody outside knows that he's come
But according to you now, that you have done two films with him. You are doing more what
is it that you know has resulted in that connect with the audience for Ajith because he doesn't
even believe in promotions, nothing. He does his work and that's it.
You answered yourself. He does his work.
So, his work speaks for him, and so is the case with Vijay. I mean he's also got this
following not because he interacts with the media, it is for his work
I mean so many other stars there down South. You see you have Kamal Hassan and you've got
so many other stars so it is basically their work and their fans who are in love with their work
and that's the reason they always want to reach out to
them, they always want to see them in in person, feel them, touch them
We have seen so many videos as well
Very few times do we see that you know before the release of one film, you announce
another film with the same combo. You have done that over here after Valimai, there's
another film with Ajith and Vinoth that roles from March 9. You know there is so much been
written about that film in terms of Ajith’s character, it is expected to you know portray him
like never before, in a negative shade, a grey shade. What do you have to say about?
You know more than me.
That's what is reported in the media
Even I wrote about it, I wouldn't deny it.
Well, I rather keep quiet and hope that the curiosity remains
And what do you have to say about this combo of Ajith and
Vinoth and getting third time, like getting together for the third time?
Well, I feel I’m blessed that I have the combo of Ajith and
Vinoth working for me for the third time on the trot
And so, you know you have another big film which is
releasing in summer that's Maidaan with
Ajay Devgn. It's one of the most anticipated film about a chapter from history that no one is
aware about. How excited are you for that film like because everyone that I have been
speaking to in the trade have phenomenal things to say
about the film, in terms of the content, the trivia’s and everything so
Well, I’m as excited as you are and I’ve seen about seen 70-80% of the film. In fact, I’ve seen
the film without the soul of the film which is the matches. Because we shot the matches now.
It still held my attention and I feel this is going to be a landmark film in Ajay Devgn’s career,
his best work, his best performance. And Amit Sharma is really excelled today from a
director who made Tevar, then he made Badhaai Ho, this is a different ballgame altogether.
It's like shifting genres, shifting gears completely
And the good thing about this is today's generation doesn't know what Indian football team
had achieved. In fact, in Melbourne Olympics, India lost at the semi-finals by a self-goal
I didn't know even.
Well, so there are many such surprises in the film and our film will not have just football,
football, football. It is got a lot of emotions with the players,
the family, the husband, the wife, the children, a lot of elements
Basically, a complete package. That that's what films should
always be in even in the sport space so yeah.
And you team up with Janhvi for the first time on Mili. I think
that film is also ready for release so what are the plans
It is, don't think it is.
Yeah, it is ready for release. So, what are the plans like for Mili?
Mili, probably end of April-May I’ll release the film. Then I have got Article 15 Tamil
version with Udhayanidhi Stalin, Nenjuku Needhi and I’ve got
those two films are also ready
So, it's going to be a jam-packed five months for you as a producer
Yeah, I want not just five months. I want to remain jam-
packed till the time I live because I don't want to be
distracted by anything I just want to keep on working
So, what are your plans like for the for the year apart from the
five films that are lined up? What’s starting and what are the plans as a producer?
You just spoke about the sixth thing that I’m starting with Ajith. Next one
Likewise, I have I’m working on two scripts with Arjun, one is Comali that I am doing it with
Luv Ranjan. We both will be doing the film together. He's working on the script. Then I’ve
got F2 which Anees Bazmee is, he's reworking with the writer the second half of the film F2
was a hugely successful. The first half is brilliant, second half what I heard just a week back
was shaping up very, very well. So, these two scripts are there plus I’ve got a couple of other
films you know, lots of things lined up for the next few years
And lot of excitement because you know there is also
a chatter about No Entry. Would you want to comment on that as to?
Salman has spoken to is better, he's the best person to talk to
But like he has confirmed which has gotten so much
eyeball because No Entry is a classic in the comic space so
So, I am keeping my fingers crossed. We hope we get to see it soon. I'm hoping too
And last couple of questions. What do you have to say about the release of Valimai in Hindi
in terms of the screen count and what are the plans to get to
you know reach out to the masses?
See, in a short span whatever best we can do we'll do. Then it's the merit of the film. Let's see
I am keeping my fingers crossed. We've not till
yesterday we know the screen count was about 800, it could go up to 1000.
And so, you know you are also making your acting debut with Luv Ranjan and Ranbir Kapoor’s
film which is yet to get a title. How exciting is it to make an acting debut now and?
It's fun. I never thought I would get into this. Somehow my kids forced me, Luv Ranjan came
up to me and he said I want you to work in my film as Ranbir’s father and we've written this
keeping your personality, your persona in mind. It was very flattering. I mean he flattered me
whether he meant it or not but I don't know but I was flattered but at the same time I was not too
sure whether I’ll do it or not. I heard him out I said then the next day I went up to his office
and I said, I won’t be able to do it. I've got too many things happening and for me to find time
to come there, the first schedule was of 25-30 days and
for me to be out for 20-30 days is impossible.
I’ve got work in Chennai, I’ve got work in Hyderabad, I’ve worked in Bombay. I'll make it
easy for you we are there for 50 days I spread your work and you can take a few days off here
and there. He promised me three breaks in those 40-50 days for my work of 30 days or
whatever it was. And then two I was not too sure. Then my kids got along, they said dad you
must do it. Sanjay, my brother said Boney, definitely do it. So, my family pushed me into it.
I'm glad I’m doing it because I’m working with a very good unit. Luv Ranjan, I call him
mini-Asif, he is a fantastic director. Before this, it used to be my job to see that everything is
right on set. Everybody's happy, everybody's satisfied, everything is taken care. This time
around I was watching and I was being taken care of. So, it was good to be on the other side
and the unit is a happy unit. It’s all fun and games. Ranbir is a fantastic actor, Dimple is a
fantastic co-star. Shraddha is, I mean the entire team. There are some newcomers also.
There's a lady who plays my mother, she's full of life and a fine actor. There's a kid, who's a
fine actor. Then there's a girl, who's playing my daughter. It's her first film too I mean we
have a bunch of fine actors the only question mark is Boney Kapoor, let's hope.
You are being modest over here, I am sure.
Let's hope I come across decently
And any last words on Valimai before you sign off? For Ajith fans
Last words you will have to communicate to the fans of Ajith because I’m talking to you and
you know how I feel about Ajith and you know how I feel about the film. I am looking
forward and I’m absolutely ecstatic with the result so far
what I’ve seen. In my opinion, it's a kick-ass film
I'm sure audience would feel the same when they watch it on
I hope too yeah. I hope to. Next week basically
The next few days
Feb 24, so yeah
Perfect sir, thank you so much, it's always lovely talking to you and wish you all the best.
Thank you
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