3 January 2023
Hyderabad

Leading producer Dil Raju says Thalapathy Vijay is not just a superstar in cinema but also in personal life. “He is a superstar; no doubt about it. I’ve made 50 films and Varisu (Varasudu in Telugu) is my 51st film. When I wanted to meet sir, I contacted Jagadish (Vijay’s long-time manager) for an appointment. He told me that whenever I’m in Chennai, I will get an audience with sir. I’ve worked with all the megastars and superstars in Telugu. I was waiting for sir in his cabin. When the door opened, he approached me with two cups of coffee. It was a surprise. A producer is meeting him for the first time and he hands over a coffee personally. That visual is still running in my mind. That is what sir is. He is a superstar in films; he is a superstar in personal life as well. That is his character. Then I asked him, ‘Sir, I have two-three stories, can you give me time?’ He replied, ‘No, no sir. I know about you. You are a very good producer. Please come any time’. I briefed Vamshi (Paidipally) about this conversation. He got an appointment with sir a week later. He gave a 30-minute narration about Varisu to Vijay sir, who immediately said, ‘I’m doing this film. It’s a very good script’. That was the starting point of Varisu.” Raju was speaking at the audio launch of Varisu in Chennai recently.

Speaking about the film, Raju added, “It’s a proper family film. It is dedicated to every parent, including Vijay sir’s father and mother. Just because it’s a family entertainer it doesn’t mean it just has a story. It has dance, fights and scenes written according to Vijay sir’s body language. It is an emotionally-charged film as well. Overall, it’s a wholesome entertainer. It will be a big winner this Pongal not just in Tamil but also in Telugu and North India. It’s going to release worldwide. This Pongal is ours.”