Director Lingusamy, who has delivered hits like Run, Paiyaa, Sandakozhi and many others, opened up to the press and media fraternity on why he re-released an edited version of Suriya's Anjaan (2014) back in theatres and how the criticism for the film shaped his view for this version.
In a press meet ahead of its release on Friday, November 28, Lingusamy said Anjaan was "one of the most trolled films" when it hit theatres 11 years back. "We were caught in it and. But even today, many people who genuinely enjoyed the film ask me why it was criticised so much. We create it thinking it was some world-changing film — it’s just a film, that’s all. Many Suriya fans liked it back then. This re-release is for them, and for our own satisfaction. At that time, without a producer like Bose, we couldn’t have made a film of this budget," he elaborated.
"Back then, Suriya sir was doing a big-budget film, and Tiruppathi Brothers was a company delivering many consecutive hits. Continuous success also brings hatred, anger, and jealousy. Even then, there were people who had affection for us. Those who hit us first are now hitting (criticising) everyone. I am not scared anymore. I have the courage to face more criticism now than 11 years ago. People ask if I’m doing a re-release just to fail again. This is not about success or failure. We made the film because we loved it. Some films become like Run or Aanandham. Success or failure isn’t in our hands," he added.
Lingusamy further added that he re-edited the film after receiving audience's feedback. He also recalled how he didn't have time watch both halves of the film together even after fixing its release date, back in 2014. "The problem with being on a streak of hits is that everyone assumes, ‘Does he not know what he’s doing?’ and they stay silent. But if you’re going through failures, everyone comes forward to give advice. That’s the kind of world this is. We’re not releasing this film now to challenge success or failure. This time, we had plenty of time — almost 2 years. They kept editing and showing it to me from time to time. Now, I’m handing the film over to you. I hope you will like it," he said.
When asked about the changes made to the new version, the Vettai filmmaker said, "The film, which originally ran for 2 hours and 36 minutes, has been cut shorter by 36 minutes. Just reducing the length of a film won’t automatically make it better. Our goal wasn’t merely to shorten it. When you watch it, you’ll sense the difference yourself." He was also probed if Suriya had watched this re-edited film to which the director said that the actor is in Ooty currently and would catch the movie when he gets the time.
The film followed the story of a disabled man (also played by Suriya), who arrives to Mumbai to find his brother Raju, a gangster. Samantha played the female lead while Vidyut Jamwaal, Manoj Bajpayee, Dalip Tahil, Soori, Murali Sharma, and Piyush Mishra, amongst others were seen in pivotal roles. Besides Anjaan, Ajith Kumar's Attagasam is also getting a re-release in theatres on Friday.