Ajit back in Yercaud!

Ajit is back on location of Aegan in Yercaud, after a whirlwind 72 hours trip to Cannes and back!

The man is incredible as he wanted to be present at the Billa screening in Cannes on Sunday and provide moral support to his director Vishnuvardhan.

Ajit was in Cannes for less than 14 hours as he flew in on Saturday late night to the festival city, visited the venues next day morning and in the afternoon was there at the screening. In the evening he packed his bags, and flew back to Chennai, and from the airport he drove down to Yercaud.

The man’s commitment to his work is remarkable, as he was shooting by Tuesday morning with Nayanthara at a prestigious private school in Yercaud.

The school authorities have let out the school for shooting during the summer holidays. The entire shoot in that location had to be completed before the school reopens after the holidays.

Prabhu Deva’s dancing lesson to Ajith

Ultimate star Ajith and screen scorcher Nayanthara are busy with Aegan that is being shot in Yercaud. Directed by Raju Sundaram, Aegan will have a dance sequence that will be choreographed by his brother Prabhu Deva. An established director of his own right, Prabhu Deva also has quite a few prestigious projects lined-up. Though busy with his own ventures, Prabhu decided to help brother Raju, which incidentally happens to be the latter’s debut directorial venture, out of sheer brotherly affection, says industry sources. But before that, Prabhu Deva will fly down to Kazakhstan along with executive producer Arun Pandian to decide on the locales for his own unnamed venture, which has Vijay and Nayan in the lead roles. Director of Moscowin Cauvery, Ravi Varman, will wield the camera and Devi Sri Prasad will score the music. It is expected that Prabhu will choreograph the dance sequence in Tekkady as soon as he returns to India.

The ultimate star

In our eagerness to please others, we often find it difficult to say no, even though we may badly want to do so.

But for actor Ajith Kumar, saying no when he needs to is among the best and most useful things that he has learnt in his life so far. “Learn to say no when it ought to be said,” says he, “if not, people will walk all over you.”

From Prerna Pustagam (1992) till the latest Billa, this ability to keep his professional life separate from his personal life is what has shaped and moulded him. The brash and impulsive person that Kollywood saw ten years ago during the Ullasam and Raasi days has made way for a mature and dignified individual, who has his head placed firmly on his shoulders.

For the average fan, Ajith's films can usually be divided into three genres — commercial cinema (Tirupathi, Attagasam are examples), character cinema (Vaali, Varalaaru are examples) and soft cinema (Poovellam Un Vaasam, Mugavari for examples). The last film Billa seemed a major deviation from the routine. Was it intentional? “I am not a cinema pundit. We just wanted the remake to please people from all walks of life.” Refreshingly different from his peers, the lack of a certain propaganda in his actions stands out. “I don't judge. I am not opinionated. I don’t generalise.”

Billa was billed as a giant leap in the league of crisp, stylish film-making in Tamil cinema. If Shah Rukh Khan was the ideal Don in the Hindi version, Ajith seemed to be the best bet for director Vishnuvardhan when he decided to remake the erstwhile Raijni-starrer with stylish, classy elements.

There is something philosophical about him these days. Positive energy and silence play important roles in his life. “For the last two years, I have learnt to ward off negativity from my life. I want to keep my life simple and not bite more than I can chew.” He says he has been influenced positively by a lot of people in the last few years, including Superstar Rajinikanth.

Citing examples like Raja, Jana and Anjaneya, we ask him if has a problem choosing the subjects he works on. “I've done many films that are trash but have done well. My priority while selecting a movie is the compatibility I share with the team,” adds Ajith, who is currently working on Aegan.

After Ajith finishes the day’s shoot and returns home, he usually refrains from watching other movies. “I like to switch off after the day’s shoot. Acting is just my profession,” he stresses. Once a year, he leaves the city and tours interesting places in the world, doing things like a normal human being without being mobbed. “My job is not different from anybody else's. I'm very careful not to be influenced by my on-screen character once the shoot is over... that would be dangerous.”

Now that he has firmly established his place in the Tamil film industry, does he have a plan for the road ahead? “I have survived 17 years in this line; it shouldn't be difficult to survive five more,” he says, "I look ahead on only what is visually ahead of me. Imagine you are taking a trip by road from Chennai to Coimbatore; the destination city might not be in sight but to reach there is your aim. You can only plan as far as you can see ahead.”

“The values and the beliefs I have are stronger than other people’s desire to influence those very values and beliefs,” he signs off. Thala Pola Varuma indeed !

Vishnu to direct Billa again - Exclusive!!!

Director Vishnuvardhan seems to have struck gold. If one is to believe the rumours doing the rounds in Kollywood, the director has been signed by Warner Brothers and Soundarya Rajnikanth's Ocher Studios for their next project, a sequel to Billa.

Vishnuvardhan is at the moment directing the film Sarvam, which has Arya and Trisha in the lead and the director will be taking up the Warner Brothers' project after completing this film.

Sources in the industry suggest that Ajit will be the hero of the film while the heroine hasn't been decided yet. Sources also claim that the director is to be paid a whopping Rs 3 crore for his work. Way to go Vishnu!