Pongal 2015, the release date of Yennai Arindhaal, is a day Arun Vijay is looking forward to. For, he has played an important role in the Ajith starrer. It’s a double delight for Arun since he got to work with two people he admires — Ajith and director Gautham Vasudev Menon.
“Gautham Menon offered me this role after seeing me in Thadaiyara Thaakka. I’ve always wanted to work with him, so the minute he narrated the script I accepted! I also got to work with Ajith, whom I respect a lot. What more can I ask for,” says Arun Vijay.
Apparently, he has worked hard on his looks. “The film is a time travel and I have two different looks in separate portions. Ajith also has two looks,” he adds. For one portion, Arun Vijay will be sporting a six pack. He reveals, “For the six packs, I worked out with my trainer Shivakumar for three hours in the morning and three hours in the night everyday, for six months. As the climax shooting neared, I pushed myself further, working out till 1.30 am at times.”
The moments he cherishes most are the ones he spent with Ajith on the sets, “Many times, in outdoor shoots, Ajith and I would work out together in our mobile gyms on the sets. Both of us would carry our equipment to the shoot and work out during the breaks. Ajith has a well-equipped mobile gym complete with bench press, weights, etc. On one occasion, he showed me the marks of his injuries and his operations. I was amazed to see his dedication to fitness and working out. Despite all the previous injuries, he works out everyday. It was very inspiring.” Ask him about working with Gautham Menon, and Arun says, “He makes the actor very comfortable. He knows what he wants, but also gives us space and is open to variations.” Arun recalls the various things he learnt, “Gautham stresses on subtlety and will never let you go overboard with emotion. It was a challenge to get used to the way he puts pauses in sentences, in the most unexpected places. His sense of style and dialogue delivery is very different.” A few days of patchwork and shoot are left of the film. “It has been around two years since Thadaiyara Thaakka, but working in Yennai Arindhaal has been worth the wait,” Arun signs off.