Shankar’s ‘I’: Why it’s special

A strong script, sets that spell extravaganza, memorable performances, mesmerising music that grows upon listeners and a social message — these are the things that set a Shankar film apart.

The Tamil director understood the pulse of the audience right from his debut film, Gentleman, which won him the Filmfare and Tamil Nadu State awards for best direction. His trademark was seen in his subsequent films, be it the Vikram film Anniyan, or Kamal Haasan’s Indian, and the coming-of-age story Boys.

Today, brand Shankar is a force in the industry, so expectations are high for his next film, I, releasing globally this week and in Dubai on Wednesday, January 14, timed with Pongal celebrations. Making the wait more exciting is the presence of Vikram in the lead. The actor, whose performance in Anniyan is still raved about, has pushed the boundaries further in I.

Vikram plays Lingesan, a bodybuilder from Tamil Nadu who aspires to become Mr Tamil Nadu. British model and actress, Amy Jackson romances Vikram on-screen in what Shankar described as “a romantic thriller”.

When asked about the title, the engineer-turned-director said: “I thought of Azhagan as a title for my story but that had already been taken. Besides, I wanted to have a title with just one letter and the Tamil alphabet ‘Ai’ came to my mind. I learnt that ‘Ai’ also means beauty. This letter from the Tamil script is aesthetically stylish and was the perfect choice for my story.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s muscles — and hair — were the inspiration for Lingesan, and bodybuilders from all over India auditioned for the film. As the story grew, Shankar, who experiments with a new technique in each of his films, tried different looks for Lingesan, which led him to his association with Weta Workshop, the New Zealand design studio reputed for its work in several Hollywood projects.

Portions of the film have been shot in China, in places hitherto unexplored on-screen, where the crew battled mountainous terrain and sub-zero temperatures. Look out for the stereotype-busting action scene on cycles choreographed by Peter Ming. Other members of the cast include Santhanam, Suresh Gopi and Bollywood’s Upen Patel.

Produced by Ascar Ravichandran, I has music composed by A.R. Rahman, while cinematography is by P. C. Sreeram.