Filmmaker Bala, who has made his mark with films such as Sethu, Nandha, Pithamagan and Naan Kadavul, has clocked 25 years in the Tamil film industry today. His debut film Sethu, starring Vikram and Abitha, was released on December 10, 1999.
Sethu is a romantic drama film where the titular character, played by Vikram, falls in love with a conservative Brahmin girl. Sethu is known for his brash behaviour and tough attitude, but he effectively mellows down due to his love for the girl. Tragedy strikes when he engages in a fight that pushes him to an unrecoverable brain injury. The film wasn't accorded a big opening, but it turned out to be a sleeper hit, thanks to a positive word of mouth. Sethu was both an impressive debut for Bala and put Vikram on the map.
Wishing Bala for his contribution to Tamil cinema, producer of his upcoming film Vanangaan, Suresh Kamatchi wrote, "Bala is like an aerial root that has been holding the banyan tree called Tamil cinema for the past 25 years."
He added that Bala is someone who brought to the fore the unenviable lives and how people living such lives hold hopes of love and are yearning to receive it through his films. He also lauded Bala for transforming talented actors into bankable stars.
Vanangaan also stars Roshni Prakash as the female lead. Samuthirakani and Mysskin play pivotal roles. The cast also includes Ridha, Chaya Devi, Bala Sivaji, Shanmugarajan, Dr Yohan Chacko, Kavitha Gopi, Brindha Sarathy, Mai Pa Narayanan, Aruldass, and Munish Sivagurunath, among others.
The film has music by GV Prakash, cinematography by RB Gurudev, and editing by Sathish Suriya. Karthik Netha has penned the lyrics for the songs in Vanangaan, while Silva has choreographed the stunts in it. Sam CS has roped in to score the background music for the film.
It is to be noted that Suriya and Krithi Shetty were initially cast in lead roles but later exited the project due to scheduling conflicts and creative differences.
The film is produced by Suresh Kamatchi's V House Productions along with Bala's home banner, B Studios. Production on the film was completed this April. The film will be releasing in theatres on January 10, 2025.