Actor Sivakarthikeyan awaits the release of 'Ayalaan' in Telugu on January 26. The Tamil version, which was released for Pongal, has been a box-office hit. "A film like this will be appreciated on first thought. That's the very nature of this alien fantasy superhero movie," the 'Don' and 'Doctor' actor says.
We achieved a lot within a limited budget despite brilliant VFX involving the alien, who is a pivotal character. This is a dual-hero subject. I am the first hero, while the alien is the second hero. The vision we had drove us to stick to the project for so long. Even '2.0' and 'Robot' didn't have these many VFX shots. In total, 4500 VFX shots are there in the film.
After 'Ayalaan' was conceived and went on the floors, a Hollywood fantasy film was released. I don't want to name it. One or two scenes in that movie are similar to what has been shown in 'Ayalaan'. The idea of our movie is quite original. The human-alien interaction is the USP of our movie. If we had to write this film today, the sequence of events narrated in the film would change. Otherwise, the content won't change.
The human-alien interaction is a universal subject. The Telugu audience are going to love the visuals and the central subject. This kind of film would conventionally be believed to take a budget of Rs 200-300 Cr. We completed 'Ayalaan' on a much lesser budget. Most of the scenes are laced with graphics. About 90% of the shots I say. Three-fourths of the movie has the alien in the frame. It involved lots and lots of CG work. There will be a sequel to 'Ayalaan' on a bigger scale, perhaps in 3D and IMAX versions. There is a large research and development aspect that has gone into making the film.
'Ayalaan' is a Tamil word. We wanted the same title across languages. Even for Tamilians, it is a new word. It's not traditional Tamil. It sounds close to the English word 'alien'.
I am a huge fan of AR Rahman sir. With this project, I am glad my dream stands fulfiled. We have not made any changes to the Telugu version. We are open to feedback. If there are any corrections that are needed, we will take that feedback into consideration.
'Love Today' worked here in Telugu even though it was released two weeks after the Tamil version. The same goes with Vishal's 'Abhimanyudu' and 'Vidudalai - 1'. 'Ayalaan' will repeat the feat. We want everyone to watch our movie regardless of their age. The wish is driven by pure commercial logic. Kids in Tamil Nadu love my films. 'Ayalaan' is a kids-friendly entertainer. The film was written with healthy humour and good songs keeping the tastes of children in mind.
'Ayalaan' has been made to give the audience a 'theme park' experience. This is not a conventional film. This is not a serious-minded fantasy drama.
