Filmmaker
Karthik
Subbaraj
says
he
always
wanted
to
work
with
Dhanush
and
Jagame
Thandhiram,
a
London-set
gangster
drama,
finally
gave
him
a
chance
to
collaborate
with
the
actor.
Subbaraj,
who
previously
worked
with
Dhanush's
father-in-law
and
superstar
Rajinikanth
on
2019
hit
Petta,
said
he
has
been
a
fan
of
the
actor
since
his
acting
debut
Thulluvadho
Ilamai
that
released
in
2002.
"I
always
wanted
to
work
with
Dhanush.
He
is
an
extraordinary
performer
and
I
have
loved
his
work
since
his
debut
with
Thulluvadho
Ilamai.
Pudhupettai
is
one
of
my
favourite
films.
He
brings
a
lot
of
detailing
to
his
characters.
He
just
reads
the
script
and
decides
what
all
things
the
character
is
going
to
do.
How
is
he
going
to
walk,
laugh
and
even
the
minor
things,"
the
38-year-old
filmmaker
told
PTI
in
a
zoom
interview.
Jagame
Thandhiram
features
National
Award
winner
Dhanush
as
Surli,
a
nomadic
gangster
who
has
to
choose
between
good
and
evil.
Produced
by
S
Sashikanth's
YNOT
Studios
and
Reliance
Entertainment,
the
Tamil
language
film
also
stars
Aishwarya
Lekshmi,
Kalaiyarasan
and
Joju
George.
Despite
having
played
a
gangster
in
his
recent
outing
Karnan,
Subbaraj
said
Dhanush
was
able
to
bring
out
a
different
performance
with
Surli
for
Jagame
Thandhiram.
"I
recently
saw
Karnan
and
the
way
he
has
differentiated
between
these
two
characters
is
amazing.
His
performance
as
Karnan
is
entirely
different
from
what
he
is
doing
with
Surli.
I
don't
know
how
he
does
this.
When
you
write
something
and
then
the
actors
elevate
it
to
a
different
level,
it
brings
pure
joy
to
me," the
filmmaker
said.
With
Jagame
Thandhiram,
Subbaraj
said
he
wanted
to
show
the
coming
together
of
two
gangster
worlds.
Subbaraj,
also
known
for
films
like
Pizza
and
Mercury,
wanted
to
cast
Hollywood
veteran
Robert
De
Niro
for
the
part
of
a
New
York-based
gangster
but
the
task
proved
to
be
a
difficult
one.
"Initially,
we
had
set
the
film
in
New
York
and
we
were
looking
for
Hollywood
actors.
I
wanted
to
cast
Robert
De
Niro
for
the
film
but
after
some
time,
we
realised
that
it
won't
be
possible.
It
wasn't
affordable
either
to
shoot
in
New
York."
He
then
decided
to
shift
the
setting
of
the
film
to
London
and
started
looking
for
suitable
actors
to
play
the
London
mob
boss.
The
filmmaker
eventually
cast
British
actor
James
Cosmo,
who
is
best
known
for
essaying
the
role
of
Jeor
Mormont
in
HBO
hit
series
Game
of
Thrones
as
well
as
starring
in
Hollywood
hits
like
Braveheart
and
Troy.
"We
needed
a
British
actor
and
James
Cosmo
was
on
the
top
of
our
list.
The
process
was
very
professional.
You
have
to
send
the
script
and
they
will
read
it.
If
they
like
it,
they
will
get
back
to
you.
James
Cosmo
liked
the
script
and
his
character.
That's
how
he
came
aboard
the
film.
It
was
a
great
experience."
Jagame
Thandhiram
was
initially
set
to
be
released
in
theatres
in
India
in
May
2020
but
had
to
be
postponed
due
to
the
coronavirus
pandemic.
The
makers
later
dropped
the
theatrical
release
plan
for
the
movie,
which
is
now
heading
to
the
streamer
Netflix
on
June
21.
Explaining
the
reason
behind
the
shift,
producer
Sashikanth
said
they
want
the
film
to
reach
as
many
people
as
possible
through
the
streaming
platform.
"Given
the
circumstances
today,
you
realise
there
are
no
theatres.
But
instead
of
focusing
on
the
negative
side
of
things,
you
look
at
the
positive.
We
have
a
great
film
and
as
directors,
producers
and
everyone
involved
in
the
process,
we
want
it
to
reach
the
maximum
number
of
people
in
the
best
way
possible.
And
what
better
platform
than
Netflix,
which
has
over
200
million
subscribers.
It
is
a
global
release.
People
around
the
world
who
are
watching
Narcos
and
House
of
Cards
will
now
see
a
Tamil
movie
of
the
same
standard,"
the
producer
said.
Post
Jagame
Thandhiram,
Subbaraj
is
expected
to
resume
production
on
his
next
feature,
starring
South
star
Vikram,
known
for
films
like
Anniyan
and
I.
The
yet-untitled
movie
began
filming
in
March
but
Subbaraj
had
to
stop
the
production
in
the
wake
of
the
second
wave
of
the
pandemic.
"I
have
finished
50
per
cent
of
the
shoot.
But
we
had
to
stop
the
filming
for
safety
purposes.
Once
the
lockdown
is
over,
we
will
restart
work,"
the
filmmaker
said.