Will Vijay’s extremely-anticipated Thalaivaa make it into the elite Rs 150 crore club? It’s producers certainly seem confident that the film will join films like Shah Rukh Khan’s Don-2 and My Name is Khan as far as collections go. According to reports, Kalaipuli S Dhanu had estimated the collection of his Vijay’s last film Thuppakki,at a little more than Rs 125 crores. But from what producer S Chandraprakash, Thalaivaa will certainly catapult the actor to Rs 150-crore club in the film industry. “Definitely, every project will exceed its conceived budget and Thalaivaa did as well. But it has more business than we expected. The television rights alone have been sold at a never-before amount for a Vijay flick. I’m sure Thalaivaa will collect more than Thuppakki,” said Chandraprakash. If sources are to be believed, Rajini-starrer Enthiran is the only Tamil film which has netted business close to Rs 150 crore. Directed by Madarasapattinam director A L Vijay, Thalaivaa stars Vijay and Amala Paul in the lead roles and is set entirely in Mumbai. Vijay has had a pretty good run at the box-office over the last couple of years with all his films doing brisk business. After the moderate success of Kavalan, films like Velayudham, Nanban and Thuppakki were officially declared as box-office successes and the expectations for his upcoming projects have all but skyrocketed.
Chandraprakash rubbished the news that Thalaivaa (meaning Leader) projects Vijay as a politician to further the actor’s political future. “Thalaivaa has nothing to with politics. Even among a group of friends there will be a leader-like person. There is a leader in every classroom. So the title should be understood in that context,” he said. With the film due for clearance from the Censor Board in a week’s time from now, it is expected to hit screens before the third week of August.
When asked about composer GV Prakash’s accusations against audio labels that the latter rip them of their due royalty, Chandraprakash said, “If musicians demand it, they should get only the expenditure reimbursed and gain their salary from their royalty. Or, they should themselves sell the music under their own label. Only the Procuders’ Council should sort this issue out,” he concluded.