Director AR Murugadoss has opened up about Vijay's unwavering commitment to authenticity, recalling an incident from the sets of Kaththi that, according to him, perfectly captured the actor's sincerity towards his craft.
Speaking to Sudhir Srinivasan in a recent interview, Murugadoss revealed that Vijay was willing to put aside his star image if it served the character. The filmmaker recounted a scene set inside a police station where Vijay's character was required to wear only a brief.
Murugadoss said Vijay personally sourced a small pair of briefs from a local textile shop and wore them before asking, "Is this okay?" The director admitted he was taken aback by the actor's commitment and jokingly responded, "Oh my God... this is a bit too much! The fans will finish us off!"
He recalled convincing Vijay to opt for boxer shorts instead, saying it was already a big deal to have a star of his stature appear in his underwear. Murugadoss added that Vijay never once worried about how audiences would react or whether fans would mock him. Instead, the actor focused entirely on what the character demanded, often thinking more deeply about the role than even the director had anticipated.
Praising Vijay's approach, Murugadoss said the actor never let his screen image interfere with his performances and effortlessly brought every character to life with complete naturalness.
The movie centres around Kathiresan, a small-time criminal who breaks out of a prison in Kolkata. He finds his wounded lookalike, Jeevanandham, in Chennai and switches places with him. Jeevanandham is a social activist battling a corporate behemoth that is attempting to take the farmlands in his village for an industrial project. How Kathiresan is moved to fight for Jeevanandham's cause forms the crux of the film.
Kaththi hit theatres in 2014 and opened to critical acclaim. The film featured Vijay in dual roles alongside Samantha, Sathish, Neil Nithin Mukesh, Anu Krishna, Sudeep Mukherjee, and Jeeva Ravi, among others. Upon release, the film opened to both critical acclaim and commercial success.