Some performances earn applause, and then some performances quietly leave a mark on the actor long after the camera stops rolling. Twenty-one years after Anniyan stormed theatres and became one of Tamil cinema’s defining commercial spectacles, one memory from actor Vikram continues to stand out, not from the sets, not from the box office run, but from what happened after pack-up.
Over the years, Vikram has often spoken about physically transforming for roles and pushing himself to extremes. But for one film in particular, the challenge wasn’t just external. It stayed with him mentally. There were no elaborate recovery routines, no grand escapes. Instead, there was silence, solitude, and long hours spent on a terrace.
Speaking to Ranveer Allahbadia in 2024, Vikram recalled how playing three distinct personalities in Anniyan affected him during production. “Anniyan disturbed me a bit because we had three characters. Now it is easy for me to shift. Now, I can easily be a shapeshifter. Back then, I wasn't like that,” he said.
The actor explained that the team shot each version of the character in phases. “We did Ramanujam (Ambi) first, then Remo, and then Anniyan. We would shoot for 15 days, and then Shankar sir would use the next 15 days to get ready. So it would be 15 days on and 15 days off.”
But those breaks weren’t exactly restful. “You won't believe it; I actually used to go sit on my terrace. I had gotten pigeons. I'll just sit there, set them free and watch them fly the whole day. I'll have my breakfast, lunch and dinner there. I would lie down on a coir cot on the terrace the whole day. I'll only come back in the evening. I wouldn’t talk to anybody because I couldn't switch off,” Vikram said.
Released in 2005 and directed by Shankar, Anniyan remains one of Tamil cinema’s landmark psychological action dramas. The film followed Ambi, a rule-abiding lawyer whose suppressed anger manifests through alternate identities—Remo, the flamboyant romantic; and Anniyan, the ruthless vigilante who punishes corruption using references drawn from the Garuda Puranam.
Anniyan also stars Sadha, Vivek, Prakash Raj, Nedumudi Venu, Nasser, Cochin Haneefa, Kalabhavan Mani, and Charle, among others. Opening to positive reviews from critics, the film went on to become commercially successful. The film, dubbed in Hindi and released as Aparichit, won the National Film Award for Best Special Effects and won six State Film Awards for best film, villain, director, comedian, music composer, and male dubbing artist.
