Boom time for Kanthaswamy

After Anniyan, Tamil super star Vikram has once again repeated the magic of enthusiastic box-office response to his latest flick Kanthaswamy (Mallanna in Telugu), earning Rs. 37 crore at the box office in its opening week. Sharing the happy news with the media along with Chiyan Vikram and Susi Ganeshan, producer Kalaipuli Thanu said the first week's collection in Tamil Nadu�was�16 crores, Andhra Pradesh (8�crores), Kerala and Karnataka (1 crore each) and the overseas figure of�3 crores in Malaysia.

In a relaxed frame of mind, Vikram said the industry needs the likes of Susi which any actor could rely on. “I do not see reason for directors, their associates and assistants taking to acting. There is no gainsaying the fact that the fate of any movie rests largely on the hands of its director,” Vikram�emphasized his point.

Stating that he had spent nearly two and a half years in the making of Kanthaswamy, directed by Susi Ganeshan and produced by Kalaipuli S. Dhanu with a whopping budget of 70 crores, Vikram said that he had faced a lot of physical stress while shooting for the film. "For example, the first fight in the movie was shot in 45 days. The stress was there. Kanthaswamy was shot in different locations," he said.

Vikram’s musical numbers including ‘Excuse Me, Mr. Kanthaswamy’ have topped the music charts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the actor terms his singing assignment as a ‘challenging role’. "I had sung the numbers in different levels. My music director Devi Sri Prasad was very impressed by my voice," he said.

In a lighter vein, Chiyan said Susi has assured he will not compete with him by taking up acting. So Susi's cameo role�in Kanthaswamy�may remain an one-off act.