Vijay Antony: The accident in Pichaikkaran 2 shoot made me stronger

Pichaikkaran 2, Vijay Antony's upcoming film, which also marks his directorial debut, is set to hit the theatres on May 19. Ahead of the release, the audio launch and press meet were held on Wednesday. Addressing the press, Vijay Antony revealed that donning a director's hat happened accidentally. 

"I never planned to direct a film. I wrote the film and I asked Sasi sir but he was busy with another project. Even another director that I approached could not make it. So I decided to step up," he added. 

He also noted that Pichaikkaran 2 is not a continuation of the 2016-hit film, Pichaikkaran.  While the first film had mother-son emotion as the core, the sequel will revolve around a brother-sister relationship.  

Meanwhile, Vijay Antony, who also composed the score and edited the film, shared an anecdote of a tragic accident, while shooting in Malaysia. 

"Usually, accidents are prone while doing action and stunt sequences. But    I met with an accident while shooting a romantic song.  While jet skiing, my bike hit the other bike, which had a cinematographer and his assistant. I sustained injuries on my face as I drowned in the sea unconsciously. I am grateful to Kavya (the film's female lead) and camera assistant Arjun for rescuing me. I am doing fine now and I feel mentally strong after this accident. I feel like like a new person with a lot of hope to achieve many things in life," he shared. 

When asked about his future directorial plans, Vijay Antony said that he would like to direct other actors in his upcoming films. "Besides, I consider myself to be a mid-level actor, and hence I have not got offers from big directors. Above all, I only look for good scripts and I have also given opportunities to many newcomers as I faced a lot of difficulties when I started off." 

Meanwhile, Kavya Thapar, who made her Tamil debut with Market Raja MBBS in 2019, extended gratitude to Vijay Antony for her comeback in Tamil.  

Pichaikkaran 2 also stars Dato Radha Ravi, Y Gee Mahendran, Mansoor Ali Khan, Hareesh Peradi, John Vijay, Dev Gill and Yogi Babu. The film is backed by his home banner, Vijay Antony Corporation, run by his wife Fatima.