Thread by @MovieCrow

🧵#19YearsOfAnniyan

We all know the success of #Anniyan, a mammoth box office hit that added a big feather to #Vikram's cap, continuing his streak of successes. However, Anniyan was not an easy project. #Shankar faced several obstacles and challenges before bringing this mammoth film to life.

Here is a thread to share some interesting facts and behind-the-scenes details about Anniyan.

The Tough Battle:

In 2001, Shankar put his dream project with Kamal (Robo) on hold indefinitely due to creative differences and unavailability of dates. He later began work on Boys in 2002, which, upon release, faced negative public opinion and underperformed in Tamil Nadu. His reputation as a director was at stake, having never seen flops before. His last hit was in 1999 with Mudhalvan. It was during this challenging period that he joined forces with Vikram.

Shankar's original team idea included PC Sreeram for cinematography, AR Rahman for music, and Aishwarya Rai for the lead actress. However, due to conflicting schedules and delays, Shankar opted for Harris Jayaraj for music and Sadha for the heroine. Manikandan and Ravi Varman handled the camera work. Shankar's initial plan to complete the film in 6 months extended to 14 months due to several unforeseen delays.

#19YearsofAnniyan

Costliest :

#Anniyan was the costliest film made back then, with a budget of Rs. 27 crores. It was the first Tamil film to get insured for Rs. 29 crores. The insurance covered different sections, including key stars, sets, wardrobe, properties, film stock, re-erection of sets, shooting delays, and public liability. All the accounting was done in a corporate manner, ensuring that all technicians and artists involved were paid by cheque. Upon the film's release, it earned almost double the budget in box office revenue, with average ticket prices of Rs. 80 to Rs. 90.

Vikram & Mental Turmoil:

Vikram allotted 18 months and 190 days of his call sheet for the film. The initial photoshoot had him appear with a full beard, mustache, and long hair. However, as the film progressed, Shankar and Vikram decided to go with a clean-shaven look and mustache with just long hair. This gave them the freedom to create multiple looks for the Remo character, making the transformations appear seamless. However, Vikram had to put in additional effort to alter his body for the different characters: developing a tummy for Ramanujam and maintaining a fit, macho look for Anniyan.

Including songs, #Vikram underwent up to 18 different getups for the film. His wife, a psychologist, helped him flesh out the Ambi character. Vikram confessed that he had a tough time during the film's making, as playing different characters affected him mentally, and he found himself going mad. He added that he would take breaks after a 15-day shoot to watch the pigeons on his terrace as a way of dealing with the pressure.

#19YearsofAnniyan

First Non-AR Rahman film of Shankar!

Ever since his debut, #Shankar's films had been backed by AR Rahman’s music. However, as AR Rahman was busy reworking his Bombay Dreams for its Broadway debut and had also been signed on to produce music for the multi-million dollar stage production of The Lord of the Rings, Shankar had to opt for Harris Jayaraj.

#HarrisJayaraj surprised movie buffs with a terrific album that showcased a variety of styles, infusing Carnatic (Ayyangaru & Kumari), Western (Remo & Kannum Kannum), and Folk (Andangkaka). He delivered a full album hit for Shankar.

Hollywood-style Stunt

Being an action film, Shankar unleashed his full-fledged grandeur vision on stunts. For a sequence set in a martial arts school, Shankar and Peter Hein employed over 100 trained professionals from Vietnam for a scene where #Anniyan takes them on. To capture this sequence, Shankar used 120 cameras and a technique called time-slice photography, also known as "bullet time," which was popularized by the American film The Matrix (1999).

This visual effect creates a frozen-time effect. For Anniyan, #Shankar used 120-122 cameras to achieve a 270° rotation, significantly enhancing the effect.

#19YearsOfAnniyan

Thiruvaiyaru Re-creation

The film features a scene set at the Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Utsavam, a week-long music festival honoring the 18th-century saint-composer Tyagaraja in Thiruvaiyaru, Thanjavur. The art department meticulously recreated the Tyagaraja Aradhana near Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu using elaborate sets. For this scene, the crew filmed a performance of Tyagaraja's renowned kriti "Jagadānanda kārakā", traditionally performed during the festival's homage ceremony on the fifth day.

Renowned violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, who plays a role in organizing the actual event, orchestrated the sequence and made a cameo appearance. Shot in June 2004 in Chennai, the scene featured leading carnatic vocalists and instrumentalists such as Sudha Ragunathan, Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram, A. Kanyakumari, and Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, contributing to its highly authentic portrayal that garnered significant praise.

The Kumari Song

#Shankar aimed to be the first Indian film crew to shoot a song at the Netherlands' prestigious Floriade, an international flower show held once every decade in Vijfhuizen, near Amsterdam, from April 10 to October 20. This 120-acre exhibition park, designed by renowned landscape architect Niek Roozen, provided the backdrop for Shankar's successful filming of the Kumari Song with a minimal crew.

Initially planning another song at the famous Keukenhof tulip garden, possibly "Iyengaru Veetu Alage," Shankar's efforts were thwarted when authorities denied permission due to a recent incident involving another Indian film crew damaging the garden just weeks prior.

#19YearsOfAnniyan

Andankaka Kondakari & Other Songs

For the folkish "Andankaka Kondakari" song, #Shankar transformed a village near Tenkasi by painting all 350 houses, roads, rocks, and a bridge in various colors with the help of art director Sabu Cyril. They also adorned hundreds of lorries and old model Ambassador cars with painted faces, costing approximately Rs. 1 crore at that time.

In another innovative move, the song "Kannum Kannum Nokia" became the first to be shot at a Malaysian airport, with a segment filmed at Nokia headquarters in Finland.

#19YearsOfAnniyan

Buffalo Scene

The scene depicting hundreds of buffaloes chasing and trampling a car owner to death in an abandoned sand quarry was achieved using CGI, with only one buffalo involved. The CGI work was handled by Jayakumar and V. Srinivas Mohan from the Chennai-based firm, Indian Artists Computer Graphics.

#19YearsOfAnniyan

Anniyan was the first Tamil film to launch its own website, . Despite the film's theme, the website primarily served for downloads and posters, differing from its portrayal in the movie.

#19YearsOfAnniyan Anniyan.com
Anniyan.com

Director #Shankar's movies are known for standing the test of time, as much for the grandeur they come with. #Anniyan starring 'Chiyaan' #Vikram is no different, and is a fan-favourite beyond just the Tamil crowd (The Hindi-dub version #Aparichit was so famous that #RanveerSingh wanted to star in a remake but the attempt never took off). Here's to #19yearsofAnniyan

End of Thread 🧵