Vidyut Jammwal reveals he was not first choice for antagonist role in Vijay's Thuppakki

Vidyut Jammwal revealed that he was not the first choice to play the villain in Thalapathy Vijay’s 2012 film Thuppakki, directed by AR Murugadoss of Ghajini fame. The Commando actor had earlier worked in Bollywood films like Stanley ka Dabba and Force before he signed Thuppakki. 

3 things you need to know:

• Thuppakki was Vijay's most widely-released film back then.
• Vidyut Jammwal broke through in the industry with his Hindi action film Commando.
• AR Murugadoss' last directorial venture was 2020 film Darbar.

I surrendered 100% to Murugadoss: Vidyut Jamwal

In an interview with Galatta, Jammwal clarified that while he was always part of the bad guys’ team in the Vijay-starrer, he was not originally signed for the main antagonist part, who is a leader of a sleeper cell. Jammwal recalled his first meeting with Murugadoss.

While the Ghajini director had seen his photos and a short clip from Sakthi, they had never interacted in person. Jammwal added, “When I went to his house, he looked at me and said, 'I think you are the main villain.' So, I thought he was joking.”

It was only then that Jammwal learned the actor originally chosen for the part backed out of Murugadoss' movie, stating that he had got a better part in a big Hindi movie. That’s how Thuppakki fell in Jammwal’s lap. The Khuda Hafiz actor elaborated on the shooting experience for the action film. He said, “When I had gone for Thuppakki, I had 100% surrendered to Murugadoss. Everything he thought, everything he said, I was diligently listening to him.”

Jammwal had not read about his character before shoot

Jammwal also admitted that before being signed on to do the villain’s part, he had not read the part or about the character. He further added, “When I went on the set, I had read the imperceptible role. I didn't believe him. So, lucky for me, he had offered me that role and this is all destiny. I was happy being that other character too, but when I went on set, I was that character.”

Thuppakki released in 2012 and features Kajal Aggarwal and Zakir Hussain. It was the widest release for a Vijay film back then, with over 1,500 screens booked by the makers. It went on to become a major box office success and also earned several awards.