Vijay is known not only for being one of Tamil cinema's biggest stars but also for his humble and grounded nature. Filmmakers who have worked with him often speak about his simplicity, and director Anil Ravipudi is no exception. Ahead of the release of Vijay's final film, Jana Nayagan (releasing in Telugu as Jana Nayakudu) on July 23, Anil shared some memorable experiences from his interactions with the actor-turned-politician.
In a promotional conversation with Jana Nayagan producer K Venkat Narayana (KVN), Anil Ravipudi spoke about meeting Vijay for the first time and how the actor later called him to appreciate Bhagavanth Kesari.
"Actually, I first met Vijay garu during the shooting of Varisu. Director Vamshi Paidipally is very close to me, and I call him Anna. He introduced me to Vijay garu, and that's where I met him for the first time," Anil revealed.
Praising Vijay's personality, Anil said, "Vijay garu is a very down-to-earth, simple, and grounded person. It was a memorable experience for me. The way everyone sees him now after becoming the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is exactly how he was when I met him. I had also written the corporate office sequence in Varisu, featuring VTV Ganesh, Sriman, and others. It was an entertaining sequence."
Wishing the Jana Nayagan team, Anil said, "I want to congratulate the entire team because they witnessed Vijay garu as a superstar, then as a politician, and now as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. His journey reflects his willpower, dedication, commitment, and the dream he turned into reality. The way he spoke to me and received me at that time made it a truly memorable experience."
Anil then recalled his second meeting with Vijay, which took place in Hyderabad during the shooting of GOAT, directed by Venkat Prabhu. "He was in Hyderabad for Venkat Prabhu garu's film when someone called and told me that Vijay garu wanted to meet me. I left everything aside and rushed to meet him. He told me that he had watched Bhagavanth Kesari and appreciated me a lot. He said, 'I watched Bhagavanth Kesari. You have done a very good job. I liked it very much, and some scenes are still haunting me.' Hearing those words from Vijay garu was a very special moment," Anil said.
He revealed that he immediately shared the news with Mahesh Babu. "After meeting Vijay garu, I immediately called Mahesh Babu garu and told him about our conversation. That was my second memorable experience with Vijay garu," he added.
Anil also spoke about how Bhagavanth Kesari inspired a few scenes in Jana Nayagan. "Later, Bhagavanth Kesari producer Sahu Garapati told me that KVN Productions had approached him seeking permission to use a few scenes from the film for Vijay garu's Tamil project. I immediately told Sahu garu to say yes, and that the formalities could be completed later," Anil revealed.
"They told me they would only use a few emotional scenes that Vijay garu liked and would build an entirely different story around them. I give full credit to director H Vinoth garu and his team because it's not easy to create a fresh story by taking just a small portion from another film," he said.
Anil further revealed that KVN had shared portions of the script with him. "KVN garu shared a few scenes with me, and I was genuinely excited. The second half has been completely changed, and audiences will get to see a brand-new story in Jana Nayagan. They have only taken a few scenes from Bhagavanth Kesari and developed a completely new story keeping Vijay garu's stardom, personality, and public service in mind. That's the only connection between my film and Jana Nayagan," Anil Ravipudi clarified.