The 2001 comedy-drama Friends, starring Vijay and Suriya, is set to return to theatres on November 21 in a remastered 4K format with Dolby Atmos sound. The re-release, handled by Jaguar Studios, marks 24 years since the film’s original debut.
Speaking at a trailer launch event in Chennai, actor Ramesh Khanna, who played a key role in the film, shared anecdotes from the production. He revealed his role as an intermediary in the then-budding romance between co-star Suriya and actress Jyotika. “Suriya and Jyotika were in love during the shooting of this film. I have been a messenger for them,” Khanna stated. He also praised Vijay’s professionalism, noting his ability to dub scenes perfectly in a single take, a skill he compared to the legendary Sivaji Ganesan.
Khanna also provided insight into the working style of the film’s late director, Siddique. “Director Siddique would not allow actors to speak any dialogue other than what he wrote,” Khanna said, revealing that the famous line “Aaniye pudunga venam” was scripted by the director and writer Gokula Krishna. He noted that his own line, “Aadu nanadathu… maadu nanadathu,” was the only unscripted addition the director permitted.
Technical details of the restoration were shared by Shanu, who oversaw the process. “The work of updating the film Friends with modern technology took more than 70 days,” he explained, adding that the sound has been remastered in 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos versions, along with frame-by-frame color correction.
Director Perarasu, a guest at the event, commented on the film’s enduring pop-culture relevance, particularly the comedy track involving Vadivelu. “After this film, ‘Nesamani’ became a trend,” he observed, referring to the character that sparked a viral global meme phenomenon years later.
Friends serves as the Tamil remake of Siddique’s own Malayalam film. The Tamil version includes two additional characters not present in the original. The film is produced by Swargachitra Appachan and features music by Ilaiyaraaja.