Ghilli, once more
Why a 20-year-old lm starring Vijay is being celebrated by Tamil cinema fans today
ne of Chennai’s important landmarks is the Gemini yover. Very close to this landmark is the Little Flower School for the Blind and the Deaf, the venue, in 2004, for the the audio cassette release of Tamil lm Ghilli starring Vijay, Trisha and Prakash Raj. The tunes of ‘Appadi Podu’ and ‘Arjunar Villu’ played for the rst time here, and subsequently, echoed in cinema halls when the lm released to a rapturous reception in April 2004.
Cut to April 2024, these songs are still playing as the lm’s re-release has crowds thronging theatres. Why is the 20-year-old lm still being celebrated? Director Dharani has the answers.
OQuestion:
We last met 20 years ago and spoke about the same lm, and here, we are, speaking about it yet again...
Dharani:
When I heard about the re-release, I imagined that it would be a one-day celebration, like a Vidyasagar concert or an AR Rahman concert. I never imagined that it would become such a celebration. People in the theatres are literally completing the dialogues. The lm and its content has remained alive till now, and I’m grateful to the media and fans for celebrating it that way.
Q:
Why do you think Ghilli, which has been played multiple times on television, is still being celebrated?
I think it is because of the emotion behind the lead actor, who played a ‘good boy’, and for that, I am indebted to writer Gunasekar who helmed the Telugu original, Okkadu, which we remade as Ghilli. It has a naughty protagonist, who quarrels with his sister and has a strict father.
All these aspects are
Dharani:
relatable to family audiences. Plus, all the actors in the lm — Vijay, Trisha and Prakash Raj — are still very relevant today.
Q:
Take us back to 2004, and tell us how you managed to pitch the idea of Ghilli to Vijay and producer AM Rathnam...
I had nished Dhool, starring Vikram, and my assistants and I just wanted to go watch a lm. Telugu lm Okkadu had released, and we watched it in Midland Cinemas. It was gripping from the rst scene. I had a story idea based on a kabaddi player, another on a romance between a guy who hid a girl in a lighthouse, and a road lm idea. Okaddu had these three elements. We immediately met producer AM Rathnam, requested him to acquire its remake rights and make it in Tamil with Vijay.
Dharani: Q:
Ghilli remains one of Vijay’s most rewatchable lms. How did his presence add to the storyline you had in mind? Vijay had till then not attempted so much humour in his lms. In Ghilli, we were determined to get that sense of humour out. I would usually act and showcase what I wanted, and Vijay would immediately deliver that eortlessly in front of the camera. His comic timing was excellent, and all the family sequences involving him, Ashish Vidyarthi, Janaki Sabesh and Jennifer were a hoot.
Dharani: Q:
Finally, can we look forward to a Ghilli 2 ?
Ghilli getting a re-release now is the second part (laughs). don’t know if we would have got such a reception even if we made a Ghilli 2!
Dharani:
I