Hiphop Tamizha Adhi on ‘Veeran’: Heroes are not defined by their powers, but by what they do with them

Actor-composer Hiphop Tamizha Adhi talks about his upcoming superhero film ‘Veeran,’ using real-life metrics to gauge success, keeping his artistic appetite in check, and more

Hiphop Tamizha Adhi has a lot to look forward to. While his first superhero film, Veeran, is set for release on June 2, he is planning on producing more documentaries and will soon return to the director’s chair. In our interview we could not help but ask about ‘Vilambara Idaiveli’, his song from Imaikkaa Nodigal (2018) that is now going viral on Instagram Reels. “This happens quite often with my work. Last year, it was the ‘Kadhale Kadhale’ track from Indru Netru Naalai (2015). We break the rules and experiment a lot, and sometimes it gets noticed immediately while in other cases, it picks up when the time is right,” says Adhi.

His next week’s release, Veeran, is Maragadha Naanayam maker ARK Saravan’s second film. . “I loved director Saravan’s first movie and we have known each other for a while and he wanted me to work on the music of this script a few years ago. Our tastes are similar; we love positive, happy stories with a takeaway. Veeran is a big film in all aspects and I think this is the right time for such a project,” says the composer-turned-actor. Veeran, Adhi says, was not only physically demanding to him, but posed many behind-the-scenes challenges. “You need a lot of money for a superhero film. The budget will be high only when we can cater to an extended market. This film is set in a remote village, so we shot on difficult terrains. I also had to train myself in horse riding. The film gave space for a lot of new experiences.”

Veeran, the story of a superhero with special powers, is a script that Saravan came up with a few years ago. Quite recently, we had another such hero in the form of Minnal Murali and Adhi says that they did think of any coincidental similarities. “In fact, the film was initially titled Minnal Veeran when the director wrote and registered this script right after Maragadha Naanayam. Saravan had mutual friends with Minnal Murali’s director and they spoke about the films, after which we realised that the stories are totally different. We changed the title as there’s more to the film. Mann saarndha, parambariyamana natar deivangal pathi pesura padam idhu. We cannot box it just under the superhero genre.”

Adhi feels there are many such stories lurking within Tamil culture, waiting to be translated into films. “Heroes are not defined by their powers, but what they do with those powers. What we often refer to as Ooru deivangal, kaaval deivangal, Karuppu saami, and Sudalamadan are our ancestors who have become deities now. People worship them as a sign of respect and not as higher beings. They are the superheroes from our history, culture and folklore. Veeran is based on one such deity.”

Interestingly, even when he has starred in only five films to date, Adhi has already done a biographical, a sports drama, a double-action subject, and now, a superhero film. “I’m not sure if I’m consciously keeping it different. As an artist, I would love my art to make a positive impact. I want the audience to have a good time watching my film. To satiate my artistic cravings, I do documentaries like Tamizhi and Thee Veeran.”

Adhi wants Veeran to reach audiences across age groups. “My first three films didn’t cater to the family audience but my last two films — Sivakumarin Sabadham and Anbarivu — were specially for them. I measure the success of my films based on the feedback people give me when I meet and interact with them. That’s the real-life metrics. During the shoot of Veeran, I interacted with a lot of elderly folks which didn’t happen after my first three films. That’s when I thought I should try reaching everyone. The younger generation considers me to be one of them. They’ve trolled me as well as supported me. Namba paiyan appadinu feel panranga.”

His last couple of films were not received well critically. “Those who’ve invested money on those films have gotten it back and that’s why I’m working with the same producer again for Veeran. All five films of mine that have come out are profitable ventures,” he saysadding that each film has its own target audience.