Phoenix, which marks the directorial debut of action choreographer Anl Arasu and acting debut of Vijay Sethupathi's son Surya Sethupathi, had its trailer launch today. Several notable film personalities, including director H Vinoth and Vijay Sethupathi himself, graced the event. In his speech, Vijay Sethupathi said, "Master (Anl Arasu) told me the story in 2019. It should have happened back then but did not. Then, we met on a flight while returning from Mumbai, and started talking (about the film)." The actor went on to mention his collaborations with Anl Arasu, including Jawan and Maharaja, and said that he started liking the choreographer at some point. He added, "I liked the story at the time and wondered why he (Anl Arasu) did not mention my son, who was of an age similar to the protagonist. I left it at that, and then he said on set that my son would be 'correct' for the role. I was happy and scared to learn that, wondering how he (Surya) would play the character as he was in college at the time. In any case, I want him to make decisions on his own."
Vijay Sethupathi then reminisced about a time when his son, as a teenager, asked for his protection and guidance. "I still remember that one time, when he was a 14-year-old and I was shooting for Sindhubaadh, I allowed him to roam around at the airport alone. He came up to me and told me 'Father, I am not old enough, so do not leave alone.'"
Vijay added that Surya also liked the story at the time but that they did not talk much about the film. The actor discussed his belief in the importance of individual volition, highlighting it as the reason why he did not go for the film's pooja function and attended its shoot only once."
Then, Vijay went on to discuss his son's attributes. "He is adaptable and a person who can analyse his own mistakes. Therefore, I had faith in his ability to survive and had no fear about it." Nevertheless, Vijay expressed his gratitude for giving Surya an opportunity to work in the film, saying "he has always been fond of Master" and describing the chance "a great blessing".
Produced by Rajalakshmy and Anl Arasu, Phoenix also stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Devadharshini, Sampath, Muthukumar, Ajay Ghosh, Dilipan, Harish Uththaman, Abhinakshathra, Moonar Ramesh, Varsha, Rishi, Naveen, Murugadas, Sreejith Ravi, Nandha Saravanan, Vignesh, and Aadukalam Naren. The film is scheduled for a July 04 release in theatres worldwide.
