Karthik subbaraj Tamil Movie News

The laurels for filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda DoubleX continue to be pouring in from all quarters, with high praise now coming in from Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood. The iconic Hollywood actor-filmmaker's team responded to a fan's request about watching the Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah-starrer on Netflix. Revealing that Clint Eastwood has already been informed about Jigarthanda DoubleX, the legendary Hollywood star's team shared that he will be watching the gangster period action drama upon the completion of his upcoming film, Juror No. 2. 

Reposting the fan's post on X, Clint Eastwood's team wrote, "Hi. Clint is aware of this Movie and he states he will get to it upon Completion of his New Film. Juror 2. Thank You." (sic) Shortly afterward, director Karthik Subbaraj too reacted with excitement at the turn of events and shared that his Jigarthanda DoubleX is his gift to the legendary Hollywood icon from his fans in India. Karthik Subbaraj wrote, "Wowww..... Feeling So Surreal!!  The Legend #ClintEastwood is AWARE of #JigarthandaDoubleX  & gonna watch it soon... 🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️  This film is my heartfelt dedication to @RealTheClint on behalf of Millions of  his Fans in India...  Can't wait to hear what he thinks of the film once he does...." (sic) The blockbuster Tamil film director also extended his gratitude to all the fans who reached out to Clint Eastwood's team writing, "Thanks a lot  @Vijay70269050 and all #JigarthandaXX fans on twitter who reached out to the man himself & making this happen.... Feeling Blessed ❤️❤️" (sic) 

Wowww..... Feeling So Surreal!!

The Legend #ClintEastwood is AWARE of #JigarthandaDoubleX & gonna watch it soon... 🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️

This film is my heartfelt dedication to @RealTheClint on behalf of Millions of his Fans in India...

Can't wait to hear what he thinks of the film once… https://t.co/nDF0Atr59g

— karthik subbaraj (@karthiksubbaraj) December 14, 2023

Jigarthanda DoubleX has turned out to be a phenomenal success and continues to run in theatres, while receiving a strong response on Netflix after it began streaming last week. Featuring chart-topping hit songs and a powerful background score composed by Santhosh Narayanan, the Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah-starrer also includes noteworthy performances from Nimisha Sajayan, Naveen Chandra, Shine Tom Chacko, Ilavarasu, Sathyan, Aravind Akash, Sanchana Natarajan, Kapila Venu, Vidhu, among others who appear in key supporting roles. 

Blockbuster Tamil filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda DoubleX is officially a hit and is continuing its strong box office run in cinemas. Featuring music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, the period action comedy film stars Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah in the lead roles alongside an ensemble cast that includes Naveen Chandra, Nimisha Sajayan, Shine Tom Chacko, Ilavarasu, Sathyan, Aravind Akash, Sanchana Natarajan, Kapila Venu, Vidhu, Ashraf Mallissery, Theni Murugan, Vishnu Govindhan, among others in key roles. Among the several big USPs of Jigarthanda DoubleX is Shettani played by Vidhu, with Karthik Subbaraj recently sitting down with Galatta to explain the inspiration for the character, while also opening up on the casting process. 

Talking about the much-talked-about powerful character in Jigarthanda DoubleX, Karthik Subbaraj said, "Actually, Shettani is an elephant poacher in Africa. I watched a documentary while I was researching for this film. It showed how they tried to catch this poacher and there was a big team working to nab him. And, the poacher's name in that real-life documentary is Shettani. I also liked the sound of the name and we decided to keep it. And, that is a very important character in the film. We wanted him to be introduced as a terrorizing villain and as a scene, it's an intense one. We show him hunting two elephants/"

Karthik Subbaraj then explained the casting process for Shettani in Jigarthanda DoubleX and said, "We first held discussions with many noted artistes, including Kannada actor Raj B. Shetty. He was finalized for the role, but he opted out due to his commitments a month before we began shooting. We then had to start from scratch for the character's casting and held many auditions with a number of people, and that is when decided to cast someone new." He continued, "We came across an actor named Vidhu and he had previously done a small role in Petta as Bobby Simha's friend, who gets beaten up by 'Thalaivar' (Rajinikanth). He also appeared in a film called Boomika. So, when we auditioned him for the role, he had the look and we did makeup for a look test. I felt that we needed more from him with his performance in one month's time. he had to get his physique ready since there were scenes to be shot in that village. The major portions of the elephant fight scenes could be shot later and we had the time for that. He did a lot of hard work and underwent acting training, and went through a lot of struggle for this role." 

Regarding whether the Shettani character in Jigarthanda DoubleX would be accepted by the audiences, Karthik Subbaraj said, "I asked cinematographer Tirru sir during the shooting whether he (Vidhu) is right for the role as this character had to click. He said that there's no reference for this character. If there's a negative police character who kills everyone, there are references for that. The performance of Rathna (Naveen Chandra) will be compared, but he did a superb job. But, we don't have a reference for an elephant poacher, and what he does is going to be the reference, and it'll definitely work out. And, eventually, he did a really nice job." 

Watch Karthik Subbaraj talk about Jigarthanda DoubleX in the video below: 

Leading Tamil filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj has struck gold once again with his latest film, Jigarthanda DoubleX, which has been declared a blockbuster. The film starring Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah in the lead roles and featuring music by Santhosh Narayanan is continuing to witness a strong audience turnout in theatres, with praise pouring in for the entire team. With fans still debating the topics discussed in Jigarthanda DoubleX, including the impact of cinema as a whole, director Karthik Subbaraj recently sat down with Galatta to talk about why he was a bit nervous before the film's release, while also opening up about his writing approach. 

Speaking about Jigarthanda DoubleX, Karthik Subbaraj said, "The response has been overwhelming because I was confident that the film would connect with audiences on an emotional level. But, I was also nervous since Jigarthanda was more in the humor zone, while this progressed on a serious path. I was optimistic, but also slightly anxious about whether they would see that as jarring and not accept the film. The way this film has been received by the audience has left us all extremely happy and the response has been beyond what we had expected." 

In regard to the writing in Jigarthanda DoubleX, Karthik Subbaraj stated, "There is a story till the second half of the film and after that, it shows where it is going to take him (SJ Suryah). In order to change the story of his life for a film, he's being taken to a new place. Up until that point, there was a story. But, I didn't have a strong reason for where he was being taken to and what goes on to happen next as a result. In that way, almost nine years passed and during the post-production of Mahaan before its release, Lawrence sir asked me whether we could do the film. I just took some time then and thought about it. At the time, I read some material about forests for another script and suddenly felt that this might connect with [Jigarthanda DoubleX]. After that, I did some research and read books, and it all fell into place. Once the elephant poaching idea came into the story, I felt the script was complete. And, I then decided to dive in deeper and work on it, and took another three months to write the screenplay." 

Watch Karthik Subbaraj talk about Jigarthanda DoubleX in the video below: 

Leading Tamil director Karthik Subbaraj is on cloud nine these days after the stupendous response to his latest film, Jigarthanda DoubleX, starring Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah in the lead roles. The period action drama also starring Malayalam actress Nimisha Sajayan as the female lead and featuring music by Santhosh Narayanan has witnessed an increase in the screen count across Tamil Nadu in its second week, with the film being declared a blockbuster. With Jigarthanda DoubleX continuing to be the talk of the town, the team on Friday evening, November 17, addressed the media during a success meet event held in Chennai, which also saw director Karthik Subbaraj call out a reporter for his wrong comment on Nimisha Sajayan's looks. 

During the Jigarthanda DoubleX success meet, Karthik Subbaraj was posed with a question about what made him decide to cast Nimisha Sajayan in the film after her performance in the Siddharth-starrer Chithha despite "not being beautiful". Responding to the query, the acclaimed filmmaker said, "How can you say that she's not beautiful? Perhaps it's your mindset because you can't tell anyone that they're not beautiful. She's a great performer and we have shown that in this film. Her role is that of a tribal girl, who gets married and comes to Madurai city and is shown pregnant throughout the film while going through emotions like anger and love at her husband, and we needed a great performer like her to portray the character."

Karthik Subbaraj further stated, "When I watched The Great Indian Kitchen, I felt she'd be perfect. And, when I narrated the story to her, she played her role effortlessly. We didn't have to do any audition either as I was very confident that she would do it, and as expected she gave an exceptional performance during the shooting. When we once put up a close-up frame for her, both Raghava Lawrence sir and SJ Suryah sir told me that she was performing extraordinarily. She's a great performer." 

Watch the Jigarthanda DoubleX success meet celebrations in the video below:

Leading Tamil director Karthik Subbaraj is the talk of the town after the phenomenal success of his latest film, the Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah-starrer, Jigarthanda DoubleX. With his return to the cinemas off to a great start after his last two films Jagame Thandhiram (2021) and Mahaan (2022) premiered directly on streaming, the hit filmmaker recently sat down with National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, the Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus, to talk about his writing process for the highly-anticipated Telugu-Tamil bilingual, Game Changer, starring Ram Charan under Shankar's direction. 

Speaking about his discussions with Shankar for the storyline of Ram Charan's Game Changer, Karthik Subbaraj said, "I felt very happy and honored that a person like Shankar sir was asking for a story from me. I already had that story and we discussed it a few months back before [we started to work on it]. It's a political story and we finished, and we discussed it here. What my team members told me was that the story is in Shankar sir's zone and only a big hero has to do this. And, I also felt that it was too early and I didn't want to get into too much politics." He added, "When Shankar sir asked, I said, 'Sir, I wrote a story and everyone is saying that it's like your film.' So, he liked that story and I gave it to him. And, the detailed screenplay and all, Shankar sir is doing. So, I'm really excited to see what Shankar sir has planned because when we sat down for a discussion later, he told me about how he's going to make a normal scene that I wrote. I saw the elements he was adding and how he was making it bigger, and more appealing to the masses. I told him that I was keen to watch the film and the changes he has made." 

Watch Karthik Subbaraj and Baradwaj Rangan in conversation in the video below: 

Blockbuster Tamil director Karthik Subbaraj has made a big comeback to cinemas with his Jigarthanda DoubleX after almost a four-year gap. Considering the hit filmmaker's last theatrical release was 'Superstar' Rajinikanth's Petta (2019) and his subsequent films Jagame Thandhiram (2021) and Mahaan (2022) premiered directly on streaming, the excitement for his latest with Raghava Lawrence and S J Suryah in the lead roles created tremendous buzz right from the get-go. In that light, Karthik Subbaraj recently sat down for a one-on-one conversation with National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, the Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus, to talk about Jigarthanda DoubleX and the first reactions of Raghava Lawrence and S J Suryah after listening to the script. 

Speaking about the feedback to the Jigarthanda DoubleX script from the lead stars, Karthik Subbaraj said, "Lawrence sir was excited and he said okay, but his mindset was in the mass, commercial [zone]. The thing that caught his attention in Jigarthanda was the 'Assault' Sethu character because nobody knew Bobby Simha at the time. But, when the 'Assault' Sethu character appears on the screen, the public is clapping their hands and he enjoys that. And, that's how he viewed his character too and he liked the element of playing a gangster, but once we went to shoot, it was in a completely different meter from what he had done. So, he had a shock initially, but then he got into this. But, story-wise, he was really excited and he felt really happy that this story had come to him." 

Karthik Subbaraj continued, "[It was] the same thing with SJ Suryah sir also, but the only thing he had was, 'Again, I don't want to do a filmmaker character because the people have now started seeing me as an actor. Many people would tell me to continue with direction, but after Iraivi, I'm completely traveling as an actor. Now, the people are telling me not to do direction and continue acting.' And, that's when I told him that he was still acting [in a role] and the character was a filmmaker. You get to perform in that and it has a lot of room to score. He then told me that he loved the script and asked me for five days time. I too said okay, but I felt that maybe he didn't like something. I was wondering how can someone think about this for five days because the original reaction would usually be instant. So, I told him that he need not take up the role and I went looking for other options, but I wasn't able to come across the right person. Later, he also came back and said, 'See, I have this one thing that's stopping me because I played a director in Iraivi and I'd be doing the same in this one too. That was the only thing that kept running in my mind. Other than that, I actually loved the script.' He spoke to the producer and he suddenly messaged me saying after two days that we'll do the film. So, the producer came and told me about this, and again I met and I said okay. When I wrote, I actually thought SJ Suryah sir would be the perfect choice and I was actually disappointed when he said like this, but when he came back again, everything was alright." 

Watch Karthik Subbaraj and Baradwaj Rangan discuss Jigarthanda DoubleX in the video below:

Blockbuster Tamil filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj is set to make a massive comeback to theatres this Diwali with his Jigarthanda DoubleX starting November 10. The period action drama starring Raghava Lawrence and S J Suryah in the lead roles featuring music composed by Santhosh Narayanan has been carrying tremendous buzz right from the get-go, with the recently released trailer skyrocketing the excitement among fans. With Jigarthanda DoubleX set for a big opening in cinemas everywhere, Karthik Subbaraj recently sat down with National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, the Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus, to talk about the highly-anticipated film, while also sharing the story behind how he arrived at including elephants as a major plot element. 

Speaking about Jigarthanda DoubleX, Karthik Subbaraj said, "During the script discussion, I wanted to add an important element since the story goes in that way. I was talking to my discussion team and this was during the initial stages before I even started writing the screenplay. When I was discussing with my team one day, I felt that this film should have more of a forest and tribal connection and I wanted to bring that elephant factor here. Each of them in my team had a different opinion and one said that the film would enter a different zone with all the VFX, while another person said it would be great."

Karthik Subbaraj continued, "When I was leaving for my home from my office, I was pondering over whether I have to keep the elephant factor as an element in the story. As I took a turn on the road, I saw an elephant right opposite me. I was stunned. Although the elephant was one that you usually see placed in front of shops, it was being carried on a truck and it took me a few seconds to realize that I was looking at a dummy. It was at that moment that I called my team members and told them my decision to add the elephant factor because I felt it was like a sign. And, I also have a strong feeling that the script put the elephant into this. It made me choose that." 

Watch Karthik Subbaraj and Baradwaj Rangan discuss Jigarthanda DoubleX in the video below: 

Blockbuster Tamil filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj is returning to theatres after more than four years with his latest film, Jigarthanda DoubleX, starring Raghava Lawrence and S J Suryah, after the box-office money-spinner Petta (2019) with 'Superstar' Rajinikanth. With the upcoming period action comedy film set for a grand Diwali release on November 10, the hit director sat down for an exclusive interview with Galatta to talk about his films that were released on streaming platforms, while also explaining the working process and his experiences with Raghava Lawrence and S J Suryah. 

Karthik Subbaraj, whose Jagame Thandhiram (2021) and Mahaan (2022) were released on OTT, explained his feelings about Jigarthanda DoubleX coming out in cinemas saying, "Petta was the last film of mine in theatres. The experience of Petta and the celebrations after its release were superb. I got to watch the film with the audience and 'Thalaivar' fans. I didn't think during those moments that the films I was doing next would be a theatrical release or not, but the situations were as such. I too feel this is a long gap and I'm very excited and keen to watch my film in the theatre." 

Upon being queried about collaborating with Raghava Lawrence and S J Suryah in Jigarthanda DoubleX, who themselves are established filmmakers, and whether he had to compromise on any occasion, Karthik Subbaraj said, "They will accept. There will be occasions when they will accept immediately and other instances when they will discuss again and again. I too will explain what my requirements are and try to convince them. It's not like this happens on a daily basis, but there have been a few occasions when such discussions have taken place. And, I believe that's a good thing because when we are discussing an important scene or a shot, the focus is on how they will perform and how the output will turn out. During such a scenario, they will have a perspective. At one point, they will be easily convinced and when they aren't, I'll begin to feel tired. And, at that point, I'll tell them that the discussion is enough and that this is how we're going to do it. They never took it in the wrong way and nothing wrong happened either. It was a jolly [experience]."

Watch Karthik Subbaraj talk about Jigarthanda DoubleX in the video below: 

S.J. Suryah is one of the leading directors turned actors of the Tamil film Industry and has been a part of many hit films. The actor has played supporting and leading roles in many movies and his next film Bommai that is set to release in theatres on June 16. The film also has Priya Bhavani Shankar playing the female lead and is helmed by Radha Mohan. Galatta Media, one of the leading media platforms known for organising awe-inspiring events, organised a fans festival for the actor. The actor shared some exciting details about the movie Bommai and about his other projects during the interview.

In a special segment during the S.J. Suryah Fans Festival, some of the directors and actors he has worked with shared their experiences and wishes for him. Karthik Subbaraj directed him in the critically acclaimed film Iraivi and his upcoming release Jigarthanda Double X. The director said he is an emotional person and revealed “Start directing soon sir, I know you will only act in it. But, he has an extraordinary script called Killer. We are looking forward to seeing you as a director.” 

S.J. Suryah said “If I am getting a name as a good actor, it first began with the Arul character in Iraivi. I cannot forget it because he was the first big director to book me. He broke the gates and only after that other big directors came and booked me. So I will always be thankful to him." He then said “There is something special in Killer, but I will reveal it some other day with him." As the anchors then asked for a hint. He went on to say "my goal is for a Tamizhan’s name to be known globally. In that way, someone who broke the door was Isaipuyal A.R. Rahman sir, Shankar sir, Rajini sir, Kamal Sir and Dhanush sir. So I wanted to prove myself and be known in other states too and the first step for that is Killer. But, we cannot say the way Jigatrhanda 2 is shaping up, maybe it will take me there."

Karthik Subbaraj is a popular director of the Tamil film industry who has been making many notable movies over the years. The next film of the filmmaker Jigarthanda Double X is set to be released in theatres after a long time as his previous two projects were directly launched on OTT streaming platforms. It will have Raghava Lawrence and director SJ Suryah in important roles and the film is set to release in theatres for Diwali. He is also the story writer for the next big film of blockbuster director Shankar with Ram Charan titled Game Changer.

The director sat down food an exclusive interview with Galatta Media and shared some interesting details about Jigarthanda Double X and some of his previous projects. When asked about the current writing scene in Tamil cinema, Director Karthik Subbaraj said “Surely, it's opening up well. I think the Malayalam industry has more films where they work with writers. Now presently, We are doing many web series, and while doing that definitely you need a writer. There is a differentiation between writers and directors, there are even 2-3 writers for some series. For the web series, there will be 2-3 writers and four directors, so it's a collaborative effort. Basically, it's all creative minds coming together and collaborating. So it's all a good scene." The director revealed that if he works on a film written by other directors, it would be with Mani Ratnam.

When asked if Karthik Subbaraj would collaborate with Lokesh Kanagaraj at any time. The director said "actually, He did a short film first for Aviyal. Then, we were about to produce one film for Lokesh before Kaithi. But it was more of a 40 mins 50 mins film. We have not collaborated with him on writing. For writing Ratna is doing with Lokesh, Ratna is from our team.” Watch the full interview here: