On Tuesday, the audio launch of Dhanush's third directorial, Nilavukku Enmel Ennadi Kobam (NEEK), took place in Chennai. Apart from the film's cast and crew, actor SJ Suryah, directors Rajkumar Periasamy and Tamilarasan Pachamathu, and many more well-wishers were present at the event. Arun Vijay, who is working with Dhanush in his next directorial, Idly Kadai, was also at the event, at which she spoke about Dhanush being a multi-tasker.
Speaking about NEEK, Arun Vijay said, “Dhanush showed me the trailer of NEEK when I was shooting for Idly Kadai. I told him then itself that this film would definitely connect with the youth. Like I said, today, after the trailer’s release, everybody is talking about it.”
He then went on to call Dhanush a multi-tasker, explaining why he believes so. "I have seen it firsthand. He would complete a shot and then go and continue writing a script. When I asked him what he was doing, he would say, ‘Just doing a script.’ One day, I suddenly saw music director G V Prakash in his caravan. Dhanush was singing a song that G V Prakash had composed. There was a recording that was happening there! It is very inspiring to see the kind of passion Dhanush has for work. He says that I am very inspiring, but I wish to say he is inspiring.”
Then, Arun Vijay spoke about the different dimensions that Dhanush has. "I've been wanting to do a film under Dhanush's direction after watching Raayan. God’s blessing, I am working with him in Idly Kadai. Dhanush is a wonderful human being and a director. There are so many dimensions to him, and he has so much maturity as a director. It was amazing to see both,” he said.
Referring to the fact that Dhanush was not present at his film’s audio launch, Arun Vijay explained that although Dhanush could not make it to the function because of shooting, his heart would be there. “I am very confident that this film, NEEK, will leave its mark. Dhanush is shooting for a song today. Until last night, I was shooting. While I've come here, he is now shooting for his portions. But his heart will be here,” Arun Vijay said.
NEEK stars Pavish, Priya P Varrier, Anikha Surendran, Mathew Thomas, Siddharth Shankar and Rabiya Khatoon in lead roles. Venkatesh Menon and Ramya Ranganathan also star in supporting roles in NEEK. Priyanka Mohan and Dhanush will appear in cameo roles for the 'Golden Sparrow' and 'Kadhal-Fail' songs in the film.
The upcoming coming-of-age romantic drama is produced by Dhanush jointly with Kasthuri Raja and Vijayalakshmi Kasthuri under Wunderbar Films and RK Productions. The film has cinematography by Leon Britto, editing by Prasanna GK, and music by GV Prakash. NEEK is all set to hit theatres on February 21, alongside Pradeep Ranganathan's Dragon.
Meanwhile, Idly Kadai also stars Dhanush, Nithya Menen, Rajkiran and Samuthirakani. Further details about the extended cast and the plot are yet to be revealed. The film is made collaboratively by Dawn Pictures, Red Giant Movies, and Wunderbar Films. Aakash Baskaran and Dhanush are the producers, while Sreyas Srinivasan is the executive producer. On the technical front, Idly Kadai has music by GV Prakash, cinematography by Kiran Koushik, editing by Prasanna GK, and production design by Jacki.
Idly Kadai will be released in theatres on April 10, 2025, along with Ajith Kumar starrer Good Bad Ugly.