I Movie (2015):
I is a Tamil romantic action thriller film written and directed by S. Shankar and produced and distributed by V. Ravichandran under his production company, Aascar Films. Parts of the film were loosely based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast.
The film features Vikram, Amy Jackson and Suresh Gopi in lead roles while Santhanam, Upen Patel, Ojas Rajani (in her film debut) and Ramkumar Ganesan portray pivotal roles. The soundtrack and film score were composed by A. R. Rahman and production design was handled by T. Muthuraj. P. C. Sreeram was the film’s cinematographer and editing was done by Anthony. The visual effects were designed by V. Srinivas Mohan through Rising Sun Pictures. Weta Workshop had worked on the digital and prosthetic make-up and background arts for the film.
I was theatrically released on 14 January 2015 and was dubbed and released in Telugu and Hindi along with the original Tamil version. The critics praised Shankar’s direction, the performances (especially Vikram, Suresh Gopi and Amy Jackson), the technical aspects of the film (especially the visual effects, cinematography, costume design and makeup), and A.R. Rahman’s soundtrack and background score, though the length, pace and editing received some criticism. The film was a commercial success, grossing ₹239.35 crore (US$30 million) worldwide, becoming one of the highest grossing Tamil films of all time and Vikram’s highest-grossing film.
I Movie Information:
| Movie Name | I |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action Romance Thriller |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Release Date | 14 January 2015 |
| Running Time | 3hr 8min |
| Starring | Vikram Amy Jackson Suresh Gopi |
| Directed by | Shankar |
| Written by | Shankar Subha (Dialogues) |
| Produced by | V Ravichandran D. Ramesh Babu |
| Cinematography by | P. C. Sreeram |
| Edited by | Anthony |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Production Company | Aascar Films Pvt. Ltd. |
| Distributed by | Aascar Films Pvt. Ltd. Global United Media (Kerala) AA Films (Hindi) |
| Budget | ₹100 crore |
| Box Office Collection | ₹240+ crore |
I Movie Trailer:
I Movie Storyline (Plot/Synopsis):
The film tells the story of a rich and handsome bodybuilder and supermodel named Lingesan (played by Vikram), who became a Hunchback by the hands of his enemies by using a Virus. After being deformed, exacts revenge upon those who were responsible for his predicament. Parts of the film were loosely based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast.
I Movie Cast and Characters:
- Vikram as Lingesan “Lee”, a bodybuilder-turned supermodel
- Amy Jackson as Diya, a supermodel and Lingesan’s love interest (Voice dubbed by Raveena Ravi)
- Suresh Gopi as Dr. Vasudevan, Diya’s family doctor and guardian-turned traitor
- Santhanam as Babu, Lingesan’s best friend
- Upen Patel as John, another supermodel who loses his fame because of Lingesan’s rise
- G. Ramkumar as Indrakumar
- Ojas Rajani as Osma Jasmine, a transgender makeup artist
- M. Kamaraj as Ravi, another bodybuilder
- Mahru Sheikh as Diya’s Mother
- Azhagu as Lingesan’s father
- T. K. Kala as Lingesan’s mother
- Mohan Kapoor as Sushil, ad film director
- Srinivasan as Keerthivasan (guest appearance)
- Yogi Babu as Keerthivasan’s fan (guest appearance)
- Alfred Hsing as John’s henchman
- Hello Kandasamy
- R. Sarathkumar in a cameo appearance as himself
Interesting Facts About I Movie:
- Principal photography commenced on 15 July 2012. The filming lasted for two years and eight months, during which shooting was done extensively in China. Further schedules were filmed in locations in Chennai, Bangkok, Jodhpur, Kodaikanal, Pollachi, Bangalore and Mysore. The climax train fight scene was shot in the railway stations of Chengalpattu, Rayagada, Berhampur and Visakhapatnam.
- Rajinikanth revealed that Shankar had approached and pitched three storylines for him to consider for his next venture, however he was sceptical of it and refused it.
- In April 2012, Vikram was selected to feature in the lead role.
- Priyanka Chopra was initially reported to be in talks for the female lead as well as Asin, Deepika Padukone, Evelyn Sharma, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The role finally went to Amy Jackson, who was paid ₹7.5 million (US$94,000) for acting in the film.
- Vikram won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for the film.
