Father’s pride
Arun Vijay gets candid about allowing son Arnav to act in Oh My Dog, the Hindi remake of his Tamil film Thadam, and more
ctor Arun Vijay, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Oh My Dog, is thrilled to share the screen with his son Arnav as well as father and veteran actor Vijayakumar. Arun is best known for films like Thulli Thirintha Kaalam, Thadam, Saaho, and Kuttram 23, to name a few.
Speaking exclusively to The Free Press Journal, ahead of his film’s release, an excited Arun says, “It’s a special moment for my family and me as my son is debuting, and I’m looking forward to people watching him on screen. It was the director’s idea because he was the one who actually had this in mind. The script came for Arnav, and he really wanted to narrate it to me. I loved it. He then requested me to play Arnav’s dad as well as my father as the granddad. I felt it was a lovely opportunity and a blessing for him, so I immediately said yes. I loved the whole film; it was totally fresh with a lot of emotions.”
Sharing the advice and tips that he gave his son Arnav on set, he states, “Arnav was very confident before filming itself. I didn’t want to give him instructions on acting because I wanted his innocence to be portrayed and the emissions to be captured the way he is actually performing. Of course, I had given him certain tips on how to not look at the camera, take positions, and react to others when they are saying their dialogues. I told him just think it’s happening in your life and play along.”
Arun is aware that it’s too early for his son to be in films. “Arnav was very interested in being in front of the camera because I think he’s seen us on shoots and our films. This was one beautiful opportunity for him, which he will carry throughout his life. I wasn’t hesitant on this project, but maybe after this, I want him to finish his studies, be more mature
and then come into the industry,” he explains.
Filming of Oh My Dog was tedious, given how the cast and crew had to enact the scenes with an animal. Arun recalls, “The husky in the film was an adult pup called Simba, but the one which came in earlier, in the beginning, was like 35 to 40 days old. So he wouldn’t listen and would bite. But Arnav loves animals, and he didn’t get annoyed and was very comfortable. It is a task to shoot with kids and a dog. We had to be very patient.”
Arun’s film Thadam is all set for its Hindi remake starring Aditya Roy Kapur. “As a Tamil section of the industry, I would love our films to go pan-India because I think language is no more a barrier. Even in my future films, I am looking at scripts that open a huge market. If you’re really talented, you get the recognition. I am happy about South films being remade in Bollywood. We are taking cinema to the
next level,” he concludes.