Among Suriya's many critically-acclaimed and popular films is Unnai Ninaithu (2002), starring himself, Laila and Sneha in lead roles. However, it is well-known that the film was initially announced with Vijay in the lead. The actor had even shot for a few portions in the film before the actor opted out reportedly due to creative differences. Among the many scenes the actor had filmed was the evergreen famous song 'Ennai Thalattum' featuring Laila. Director Vikraman has now shared the unreleased version of the song featuring Vijay in it.
Releasing the video, the director wrote, "The song 'Ennai Thaalattum' from the film Unnai Ninaithu was recently sung by Sinhala students in Sri Lanka and went viral on social media. I had originally filmed this song featuring Thalapathy Vijay, and those memories came rushing back. In that moment, I happened to find an old video cassette related to this song. The video was badly damaged, but I am sharing it here for your viewing."
The noted director further urged audiences to not compare the two versions. "Both are great performers," he remarked in his social media post.
A few years ago, Vijay and Laila's photoshoot pictures for the romantic drama had surfaced on the internet. The former joined hands with the director during the time after their previous collaboration Poove Unnakaaga (1996) turned out to be the blockbuster of the year. However, it didn't materialise.
Unnai Ninaithu also starred Ramesh Khanna, Charle, R Sundarrajan and Ramji in supporting roles. The film, which became a commercial success, was remade into Telugu by Vikraman as Cheppave Chirugali (2004) and unofficially in Kannada as Krishna (2007).