Vadam is built around manjuvirattu, the rural bull sport that forms the backbone of this commercial entertainer starring Vimal and Natty Natraj. Directed by Kenthiran V, with D. Imman scoring the music and lyrics by Gnanakaravel, the film releases on March 6.
“I don’t need to be a mass hero,” Vimal said. “Being a hero with a good heart is enough. I know my strengths.” It’s a disarmingly honest way to frame a career in Tamil cinema, and it fits the kind of film Vadam appears to be: rural, grounded, built on storytelling rather than star power. Vimal described it as a commercial film, but one with substance. “Four or five storylines, all running through the film, all coming together in the climax.”
He admitted he wasn’t fully sold during shooting. The director kept filming scene after scene, but Vimal couldn’t see how the threads would connect. “It was only after I watched the finished film that I was satisfied. He delivered exactly the story he’d narrated to me.”
Natty Natraj, working with Vimal on screen for the first time, had a similar reaction to the screenplay’s ambition. “It’s like a shuffled deck of cards,” he said. “The cameraman, the editor, the fight master, D. Imman, they all bring it to life.” The two were originally meant to collaborate on the web series Om Kali Jai Kali before that fell through. Natty singled out a courthouse fight sequence as a highlight, noting that Vimal managed to project heroism while keeping the performance restrained and believable. “There’s a realism in Vimal that’s a great strength for this film.”
D. Imman scores all four songs and has returned to playback singing for one track after a gap. He drew attention to a detail that could become one of the film’s talking points: a full solo number dedicated to the heroine. “Full songs written for women have become rare in today’s cinema,” Imman said. “Credit the director for creating that space.”
The heroine is newcomer Sanashka Sri, whom Kenthiran discovered in an unlikely way. “I was scrolling through WhatsApp statuses and saw a photo that just worked,” the director recalled. “I tracked her down. She was shooting for a friend’s film. I cast her.” Sanashka said Vimal made the set easy for a debutante. “Working with established actors is intimidating, but he kept teasing me throughout the shoot, which took all the pressure off.”
One of the more unusual additions to the cast doesn’t speak at all. Pandi Muni is a bull who performs alongside Vimal in key scenes and, according to Kenthiran, actually responds to cues on set. “When we said ‘Action,’ Pandi Muni would perform,” the director said. The bull shares his name with one of D. Imman’s tracks from the soundtrack, and Vimal noted that the song Pandi Muni has already become the de facto anthem at manjuvirattu events in Madurai.
Munishkanth, who has been a regular in Vimal’s films, teased a character he wouldn’t reveal but called it the role he’d always dreamed of playing. The ensemble also includes Bala Saravanan, Aadukalam Naren, Deepa, Sharavanan Sakthi, Madhusudhan Rao, and Indhumathi Manikandan. Prasanna S Kumar handles cinematography, with Shabu Joseph on editing.
Vadam is the debut production from Maasani Pictures, with first-time producer R. Rajasekar bankrolling the film. Vimal offered a story that says something about the kind of producer Rajasekar is: during an expensive sequence in Courtallam involving a thousand extras and hundreds of bulls, Vimal received news of a personal bereavement. Rajasekar paused production the next day, organized a tribute on location, distributed 500 sarees to local villagers, and planted 2,000 saplings in the surrounding area. “He won me over with that gesture,” Vimal said.
Vadam releases in theatres worldwide on March 6.