Back in 2013, just as actor-turned-politician Vijay started sowing the seeds for his political career through his films, Bengali actor Tota Roy Chowdhury shared the screen with him in Kaththi. An actor from the East, Tota did not have much of an idea about the stardom of the Thuppakki actor.
Now, as Vijay has become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Tota has recalled his experience working with his Kaththi co-star. The actor, in an interview with Straight Up with Shree, detailed an anecdote from the film's set, which he recalled when Vijay announced his political entry.
In one scene in Kaththi, Tota remembered that he delivered a lengthy dialogue in one take, acting opposite Vijay, who helped him with cues. He was taken aback when the shot concluded with the applause of more than a hundred people on set.
But the bigger surprise came shortly after, recalled Tota, as he received a call from Vijay's secretary. "I was initially scared about what I did wrong. 'Why is he calling me? Did I do something wrong?'" was Tota's first thought. But he had a pleasant experience meeting Vijay, eventually. "So I went in, and he was so polite; he told me to sit down and asked, ‘Can I offer you some coffee?’ While drinking coffee, he spoke. He asked where I was from and apologised for not knowing much about me. I work in regional films,' he said! Then he said, ‘I really liked working with you. Very nice.’ He was such a gentleman!”
While this gave him a core memory to hold on to, what happened after became unforgettable, reminding him of Vijay's stardom more than a decade later. Tota explained that after his conversation with Vijay, the film's assistant directors swarmed around him to know how the meeting went. "They were like, ‘He chatted with you? He offered you coffee?’ I was like, ‘Why do you see him in that way?’ They said, ‘What are you saying? He is the future CM of our state!’ It is now that I realise this! This was in 2013! I remembered this conversation with the assistant when Vijay formed his party.”
Helmed by AR Murugadoss, Kaththi hit theatres in 2014 and opened to critical acclaim. The film featured Vijay in dual roles alongside Samantha, Sathish, Neil Nithin Mukesh, Anu Krishna, Sudeep Mukherjee, and Jeeva Ravi, among others.
