Atlee got emotional at the Baththa audio launch in Chennai on Friday as he looked back on the people who shaped his journey in cinema. While speaking at the event, the filmmaker made it clear that Vijay remains one of the most important figures in his career.
“The shirt, pants, and watch I wear today, I earned through hard work. But I also think it’s because of my anna, Thalapathy Vijay. Without him there’s absolutely no chance…no chance,” Atlee said, setting the tone for a deeply personal reflection on his rise from Raja Rani director to one of Indian cinema’s biggest commercial filmmakers.
Atlee Opens Up About The Jawan Turning Point
Atlee said Raja Rani made him known, but he credited his run of films with Vijay for transforming his career. Looking back at Theri, Mersal and Bigil, he said, “I was famous, I was doing well. But that man gave me life back-to-back.”
He then moved to the phase when Jawan entered his life and recalled how strongly Vijay supported that leap. Referring to a conversation around the Shah Rukh Khan film, Atlee said, “When Shah Rukh sir came to my office, we had a meeting. He told me, look, I don’t care what you do or how you handle it, just stop hovering around me. Please go ahead and do that film; it will change the course of your career. My life changed, and I am thankful to Vijay anna.”
That anecdote placed Jawan at the centre of Atlee’s speech, with the filmmaker framing the blockbuster as a defining shift in his career beyond Tamil cinema.
His Remarks On Vijay’s Political Phase
Atlee also addressed Vijay’s move into politics and said people often assume he keeps mentioning him in the hope of another collaboration. He pushed back against that reading and said, “I won’t get another movie with him, he has become the CM. But he’s still my brother.”
He followed that with a broader comment on how he sees Vijay’s political presence influencing younger viewers. “I am from a previous generation; I have never seen assembly sessions. But now, even a five-year-old is watching assembly in the morning. I think Vijay anna is creating a solid generation, there’s no doubt about it,” he said.
Atlee’s Recent And Upcoming Work
After delivering Jawan in 2023, Atlee has officially announced Raaka, his film with Allu Arjun, Deepika Padukone and Sun Pictures. The project is positioned as his next major directorial venture, though no further production update was detailed during his Chennai appearance.
Coming at a time when his next big film is already in focus, Atlee’s Chennai speech stood out for its candour, turning a routine promotional stage into a revealing personal moment from a director at a major career high.
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