SJ Suryah: Vadhandhi is on par with any international series

After the success of Suzhal, Amazon Prime Video is coming up with a new web series titled Vadhandhi. Starring SJ Suryah, Laila, Nasser, Vivek Prasanna, Smruthi Venkat, and Sanjana in the main roles, the series is a murder mystery set in the southern tip of Tamil Nadu. Andrew Louis of Leelai and Kolaigaran fame is the show's creator and director. Filmmakers Pushkar and Gayatri have produced it under their banner Wall Watcher Films. The series is set to premiere on December 2. Besides Tamil, it will be out in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. 

Vadhandhi's trailer launch was held on Tuesday at the Tagore Film Centre in Chennai in the presence of all the main cast and crew members. Aparna Purohit, Head of India Originals, Prime Video, was the first to speak at the event, and she sounded confident about how the series has turned out. "We at Prime Video aim to bring rich, rooted stories from the South, and Andrew Louis has delivered a gripping thriller with Vadhandhi. We are also thrilled to collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri after the overwhelming response to Suzhal."

The filmmaker couple also shared similar thoughts on reuniting with Prime Video. "It is a great platform to release your content as it's not every day that your work reaches around 240 countries. Andrew has done an incredible job in Vadhandhi. As creative producers, it was easier for us to collaborate with him because we have known each other since our college days," said Pushkar.

SJ Suryah also heaped praise on Andrew Louis, who is also his erstwhile assistant. Despite having known him for so long, Suryah addressed Andrew as 'sir' throughout the speech. He also revealed that Andrew had approached him for another project in 2017, only for him to decline as he was keen that their collaboration should be for something remarkable. "Andrew sir was with me as my assistant right from Vaali... for over seven years. Over the years, his sensibilities have evolved immensely. He has great control over his craft and has a certain conviction. I feel extremely proud that it's my assistant who is finally giving me an 'international break'," said an exuberant Suryah, as he repeatedly mentioned that Vadhandhi is on par with any international series. He also lauded cinematographer Saravanan Ramasamy and music director Simon K King's work in the series.

Vadhandhi, set in the Kanyakumari region, follows the murder investigation of a young girl, Velonie. Debutant Sanjana plays this role. While speaking at the event, she expressed her gratitude to all her team members. Laila plays her mother's role in the show. The actor, who recently made her comeback with Sardar, admitted that she was initially hesitant about taking up the role of a teenager's mother. "I was skeptical, but I could not decline the offer because of two reasons -- Andrew's gripping narration and the team involved." Laila also spoke about the shooting experience while pulling the legs of her co-star Vivek Prasanna, who plays a cop assisting SJ Suryah's character. "Vadhandhi was a great learning experience. I got time to spend 40-odd days with SJ Suryah sir, and you can't help but be in awe of his energy. He's always striving to be better. Working with Pushkar-Gayatri is also like a homecoming to me. They were the ones who gave me my first break with Vikram Vedha," said Vivek.

Nasser concluded the event by wishing team Vadhandhi the best of luck. When asked about his role, the veteran remained tight-lipped and quipped, "who knows? I might be the killer!", much to the shock of his team members.