‘Jigarthanda Double X’ is the spiritual sequel to ‘Jigarthanda’, says director Karthik Subbaraj

The film, made with a whopping budget of about ₹100 crore, features SJ Suryah and Lawrence in the lead roles.

ByManigandan KR

Published Oct 10, 2023 | 4:57 PM ⚊UpdatedOct 10, 2023 | 4:57 PM

Director Karthik Subbaraj Jigarthanda Double X

Director Karthik Subbaraj (third from left) flanked by actors SJ Suryah and Raghava Lawrence at the launch of first single from 'Jigarthanda Double X'. (Supplied)

Director Karthik Subbaraj’s Jigarthanda Double X, which features SJ Suryah and Raghava Lawrence in the lead, is all set to hit the screens for Diwali on 12 November.

The film has caught the attention of fans and film buffs for the simple reason: its first part was immensely popular and hugely successful.

Jigarthanda Double X has also been in the news for the huge amount of money that has gone into making it. Yes, the film has been made with a whopping budget of about ₹100 crore.

It has music by Santhosh Narayanan and is produced by the director’s own production house — Stonebench Films.

Addressing an event organised to mark the release of the first single from the movie, director Karthik Subbaraj said, “It’s been over five years since my films were released in theatres. After Petta (2019), I haven’t had a theatrical release.”

He added, “Due to corona, a couple of my films — Jagame Thandhiram (2021) and Mahaan (2022) — were released on OTT. This film, as far as I am concerned, is like reinventing myself.”

On how the idea popped up

Stating that the Jigarthanda franchise was crucial for him in his career, Karthik Subbaraj said the idea of making a second part came to his mind when he spoke to Lawrence.

The filmmaker recalled: “Actually, I approached Lawrence for the character of Sethu in Jigarthanda 1 (2014) itself. But that didn’t happen. After the film was released, I was shooting for Iraivi (2016) when Lawrence called me up and asked me about working together.”

He elaborated, “That was the time I narrated a one-liner about Jigarthanda Double X. He liked the story. But then, the film didn’t take off immediately. Later, when I was working on Mahaan (2022), Lawrence reminded me about this project and that was how this film began.”

Related: I don’t want you at my film functions, Raghava Lawrence tells his fans

‘A spiritual sequel’

Jigarthanda Double X film poster

A poster of ‘Jigarthanda Double X’. (X)

The first part — Jigarthanda —  revolved around a debut filmmaker making a movie with a dreaded gangster in the lead.

Jigarthanda Double X, the second part of the franchise, also has a filmmaker and a gangster taking on each other. However, this time around, the story is set in 1975.

Karthik Subbaraj defined Jigarthanda Double X “as the spiritual sequel to Jigarthanda“.

“Jigarthanda’s soul lies in the fact that a gangster from the crime world meets an artiste (filmmaker) from the art world. The story is about how art changes both their lives. That core concept is there in this film too. Other than this soul, there is no other connection between the characters in this film and the first part.”

Related: Vishnu Govindan joins ‘Jigarthanda Double X’ team

On tagline

The tagline of the film piqued the interest of many. It reads: “A Pandya-Western Film”.

When asked about it, Karthik Subbaraj he laughingly replied, “Yes, Pandya basically refers to the movie being a pan-Indian film. We imagined a situation wherein someone attempts to make a pan-Indian film in 1975.”

He elucidated, “If you watch the teaser, there is a shot where someone says ‘it is a pan-Indian Western film’, and Lawrence misunderstands it as a ‘Pandya-Western film’.”

The director added, “So, basically the story is about two people trying to make a Spaghetti western film. What happens then is what the film is about.”

If Jigarthanda Double X is a pan-Indian film, what are the languages that the unit is planning to release it in?

“We will be releasing it in all places. It will be a straight Tamil film. We are planning to release the dubbed versions — Telugu and Hindi —  though. We are also considering the possibility of dubbing it in Kannada and Malayalam,” Karthik Subbaraj signed off.

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