'Attahasam' will be Ajit's litmus test

Chennai, Nov 6 (IANS): Diwali release "Attahaasam" is the most anticipated film of this month mainly because it is directed by Saran, and also because a movie with Ajit as hero is hitting the theatres after a long time.

Expectations are high mainly because Saran's last film "Vasool Raja M.B.B.S." is a big hit all over Tamil Nadu.

The fact is it is not Saran who needs a hit badly now but Ajit. All his contemporaries like Vijay and Vikram have had big successes at the box office in recent times, but not Ajit.

In the last couple of years, Ajit had been shuttling between England or Hong Kong and Chennai trying to make a mark in car racing. Unfortunately, he did not succeed behind the wheels. Now, he is back in Chennai and concentrating fully on his film career.

This is the third time that Ajit is acting under Saran's direction. The first time was in "Kaadhal Mannan" in which Saran presented Ajit as a romantic hero. The second one was "Amarkkalam", a turning point in Ajit's career and life. It was during the filming of "Amarkkalam" that Ajit fell in love with his heroine Shalini and got married to her soon after. It was also "Amarkkalam" that launched Ajit's career as an action hero.

Saran has written the story of "Attahaasam" with an intention of giving Ajit yet another new image -- that of an action hero who can also do comedy effectively. This is Ajit's first comedy role.

Ajit has a double role in the film, as Guru and Jeeva. Guru is a fun loving man who runs a driving school, and Jeeva is a local thug in Thoothikudi. You are right, they are twins separated at birth!

As Guru, Ajit gets to do a lot of comedy, and as Jeeva he gets to perform a lot of stunts.

The other two films in which Ajit got to do double roles were "Vaali" and "Villain". The S.J. Suryah-directed "Vaali" was a blockbuster while "Villain" was not as successful.

The stunts in "Attahaasam" are rumoured to be breathtaking. In one fight scene, Ajit fights blindfolded using a sickle as a weapon. In another scene, he fights 90 hoodlums! The three villains in the film -- Babu Antony, Jasper and Mahadevan of "Pithaamahan" fame -- have 30 hoodlums each under them. In one stunt scene, 25 Tata Sumos were used and destroyed.

Paired opposite Ajit is Pooja, who played the second lead in Saran's "Jay Jay" which had Madhavan as the hero. Other actors include Sujatha, Haneefa, Nizhalkal Ravi, and Ilavarasu. Music is by Bharadwaj who, like Saran, is on a high after the success of "Vasool Raja". Lyrics are by Vairamuthu. Cinematographer is A. Venkatesh.