Vijay Antony and his interviews have earned a special reputation among fans. The composer-actor faces every question as an opportunity to take a dig at the one who asks it or turn it into content that becomes instantly viral on social media. With a deadpan face and unhinged replies, Antony has become a favourite on Tamil YouTube. Ahead of the release of his next, Hitler, the actor sat down for a chat with News18 Showsha.
When asked why his upcoming film is titled Hitler, he explained that if someone with a specific name commits acts of violence, the perception of that name changes, and no one would want to use it afterward. Explaining it, he said, “Hitler is also one such name, but a person with that name happened to rule Germany at that time and went on to do those things. We purposefully chose that name. See, a villain’s villain is a hero. A negative person in a movie will hate a good person. And for this negative person, the good person is going to be a villain. So, this Hitler is a Hitler for the bad people.”
Vijay Antony’s film titles — Pichaikaaran (Beggar), Yeman, Kolaikaaran (Murderer), and now, Hitler — carry a shock value and the actor doesn’t worry about the negative image of them. “See, in the entire world, nobody can give a very apt title for that story, Pichaikaran. For me, it is a very sensible, apt thing. I don’t have any belief about superstitious things, you know. Numerology, whatever it is. I don’t have any belief in it. For a movie, I will do anything apt,” he said.
Vijay Antony has decided to not wear footwear, and all through the promotion, the actor was seen barefoot. When asked if his decision to not use footwear has any spiritual roots, he said, “Wearing no footwear is actually a luxury for me. You are wearing shoes and are tied down by things like this. I am, on the other hand, luxurious. I can go without all of this. Whenever I am feeling difficulties, I will definitely wear slippers. We had a shoot in the forest, where there were many insects and other things. At that time, I wore shoes. And for my live concert in Sri Lanka, I wore it because there were electrical wirings all over the place. It wasn’t safe. So, I wear them when it becomes a necessity. But mostly, 70% of the time I walk barefoot. The more you detach yourself from materialistic things, the soon you will attain ‘that’ state.”
Vijay Antony went through a hard time in 2023 with the loss of his daughter and meeting up with a near-fatal accident. Opening up on it, he said, “Nothing is hard. Everything is a part of our life here.” When asked what got him through the phase, Vijay says that he didn’t need any such help. “From my childhood itself, I don’t believe in anything. When you see nothing, where can you hold? When there’s nothing, what do you hold on to?” he mused.
The actor also opened up on the box office performance of Tamil cinema, which hasn’t done well in 2024. He said, “Not just Tamil cinema, the entire Indian cinema is having a hard time. It is because of the change in the method of acquisition of the satellite and digital. Earlier, when you launch a movie, the satellite rights will be immediately sold based on the face value of the hero and the director. Now, the OTT platforms insist on seeing the films before buying them. So, assembling a project has become hard. The digital market has also shattered the satellite market. People have started watching movies on digital platforms, so satellite viewership has reduced to 50% approximately. Digital platforms initially came with fancy numbers. Now, they have also understood the reality and they are cutting down the prices. This will result in a reduction of the salary of all the heroes and technicians.”
Vijay Antony also claims that a producer should not mount a project if he/she can’t afford the cost of the stars. “If a star asking for an amount, give only if you can handle the risk. If you can’t, don’t. No one is compelling you to spend. Producers are not children. They have their calculations and if it doesn’t work for you, then don’t produce the film. Go to a hero who you can afford,” he said, wrapping up.
Hitler, directed by Dana of Vaanam Kottatum fame, will be released in theatres on September 27.
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