The Greatest of All Time | |
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Directed by | Venkat Prabhu |
Written by | Venkat Prabhu Viji (dialogues) |
Screenplay by | Venkat Prabhu K. Chandru (additional) Ezhilarasu Gunasekaran (additional) |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Siddhartha Nuni |
Edited by | Venkat Raajen |
Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
The Greatest of All Time (also marketed as The GOAT) [lower-alpha 1] is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay in dual roles, leading an ensemble cast including Meenakshi Chaudhary, Sneha, Prabhu Deva, Prashanth, Ajmal Ameer, Mohan, Laila and Jayaram.
Initially, Atlee was reported to direct the project, but subsequently, Prabhu was brought on board. The film was announced in May 2023 under the tentative title Thalapathy 68, as it is Vijay's 68th film in a leading role, and the official title was announced in December 2023. Principal photography commenced in October 2023, and filming locations include Chennai, Thailand, Hyderabad, Sri Lanka, Pondicherry, Thiruvananthapuram, and Russia. The film has music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, cinematography handled by Siddhartha Nuni and editing by Venkat Raajen.
The Greatest of All Time is scheduled to release worldwide on 5 September 2024 in theatres.
Additionally, deceased actor-politician Vijayakanth and Y. G. Mahendran will make cameo appearances in the film with the makers using artificial intelligence for the former.
In late November 2021, Vijay, who had collaborated with director Atlee for three successful films, was reported to collaborate again with the latter for his 68th film as the lead actor. [4] Marking their collaboration after Theri (2016), Mersal (2017), and Bigil (2019), the production process was set to begin after the director completed his commitments for his debut Hindi film, Jawan (2023). [5] [6] In the meantime, Vijay would work on two projects, Varisu and Leo (both 2023). [7] On 24 December, Yuvan Shankar Raja, through X (formerly Twitter), posted a picture of himself and Vijay, [8] which was speculated to hint a reunion in the near future after Pudhiya Geethai (2003). [9] Reports of the collaboration between Vijay and Atlee continued throughout 2022. [10] That December, it was reported that filming was set to commence in June 2023, as Atlee by then had completed Jawan, as the initial film's release date was 2 June 2023; but was postponed. [11]
The following May, Atlee was confirmed to not direct the project, as he had signed another Hindi film, which became Baby John . [12] The same month, Vijay had reportedly listened to multiple scripts, which included from directors Venkat Prabhu and Gopichand Malineni. [13] On 21 May, Vijay, through his social media pages, announced that his 68th film would be helmed by Prabhu, tentatively titled Thalapathy 68. [14] AGS Entertainment was revealed to produce the film, while Archana Kalpathi and Aishwarya Kalapathi served as the creative producer and her associate respectively. [15] Multiple reports stated that Vijay would receive a remuneration of ₹200 crore (US$25 million) for the film, which would make him the highest-paid film actor in India. [16] [17] In the following August, the team left for Los Angeles to use visual effects scanning to create the look of one of Vijay's characters; this technique was previously used for Fan (2016) and Indian 2 . [18] The film's official title, The Greatest of All Time, was announced on 31 December 2023. [19]
A second promotional poster was released on 1 January 2024, hinting at the film being a science fiction film. [20] Prabhu had met Vijay ten months prior to the announcement and narrated a one-liner, which the latter requested to develop. [21] After completing the development in early-May 2023, Prabhu met Vijay again later that month and narrated the script. Vijay then 'okayed' the script and finalised him. [22] Prabhu co-wrote the film's script dialogues with Viji, with additional screenplay written by K. Chandru and Ezhilarasu Gunasekaran. [23] A muhurat puja was held on 2 October 2023 at Prasad Labs in Chennai with the film's cast and crew. [24] [25]
In mid-July 2023, Siddhartha Nuni was announced as the cinematographer, in his third Tamil film after Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022) and Captain Miller (2024), marking his first film with Vijay and Prabhu. [26] Yuvan Shankar Raja was confirmed to score the music, in his third consecutive film with the director after they had done a total of ten films. [27] [28] Prabhu further retained most of the crew from his previous films, including editor Venkat Raajen, production designer Rajeevan Nanbiyar, stunt choreographer Dhilip Subbarayan, art directors Sekar and Surya Rajeevan, costume designers Vasuki Bhaskar and Pallavi Singh. [29] [15] S. M. Venkat Manickam was appointed as the executive producer. [30]
Vijay will be seen in a dual role as a elderly and a younger man, [31] [32] and would sport a clean-shaven look for one of them, after Vettaikaaran, and Sura. [33] Meenakshi Chaudhary and Sneha were both cast as the female leads, with the former paired opposite the younger character of Vijay, [34] in her first collaboration with the actor, [35] [36] and the latter opposite the older character, reuniting with the actor after Vaseegara (2003). [37] [38] Prabhu Deva was confirmed to play an important role, collaborating with Vijay for the after previously directing the actor in two films, Pokkiri (2007) and Villu (2009), [39] whilst Prashanth also joined the film in an important role, [40] collaborating with the latter for the first time. [41]
Laila, [42] Vaibhav, [43] Mohan, [44] Jayaram, [45] and Ajmal Ameer, [46] Yogi Babu, [47] VTV Ganesh, [48] Prabhu's frequent collaborators Premgi Amaren, [15] Aravind Akash, [49] and Ajay Raj were announced to play prominent roles. [50] With Babu and Ganesh making their first collaboration with Prabhu, all of their inclusion was confirmed during their presence at the muhurat puja. [51] [52] Ganja Karuppu revealed that he was a part of the cast in mid December, [53] while Parvati Nair did the same the following month. [54] [55] Yugendran was present at the film's preliminary shooting, confirming his presence; he would act with Vijay after Thirupaachi (2005). [56] Premalatha, the wife of late Vijayakanth, confirmed that the latter would be featured in a scene for the film with the use of artificial intelligence (AI). [57] [58] Y. G. Mahendran stated that he would also make a cameo appearance, during an interview with Filmibeat. [59] [60]
Principal photography began with the first schedule on 3 October 2023 at Prasad Labs in Chennai. [61] The song "Whistle Podu", choreographed by Raju Sundaram and picturing Vijay, Prashanth, Deva and Ajmal, was firstly filmed. [62] Reportedly, the makers used AI for the sequence which concluded by 9 October. [63] The second schedule commenced in Thailand on 30 October, [64] with Vijay joining them on 3 November. [65] The team shot mostly at Bangkok in this schedule. [66] Within ten days of filming, Vijay completed filming his portions for the schedule and returned back to Chennai; the makers stayed in Thailand and filmed portions not involving the actor. [67] A minor portion was shot soon after at Prasad Labs in late November, [68] before they moved to a film city in Hyderabad. [69] Prabhu had reportedly united a major cast to film important sequences before the schedule ended by 27 December. [70] Filming resumed in Sri Lanka on 7 January 2024, following a hiatus for the New Year's. [71] Dillip Subbarayan, in late January, stated out of five to six action sequences, four sequences had been completed filming. [72]
On 2 February, Vijay announced his retirement from films after completing one more film and his entry into politics, making this his penultimate film. [73] Siddhartha Nuni had used three cameras to shoot a significant sequence; something he had never done before, according to him. [74] In early February, he stated that halfway of filming was completed. [75] A minor schedule began in Pondicherry on 5 February. [76] A footage of Vijay, Prashanth and Deva was leaked during this schedule, and went viral on social media platforms. [77] This led to the film's official technology security partner to warn social media users from sharing the leaked content or their accounts would be deleted. [78] Filming then resumed with a song sequence, which reportedly went on for a week. [79] In early-March, it was reported that an item number featuring Trisha was shot in Chennai. [80] The makers had initially decided to shoot the following schedule in Morocco; however, the filming locations was instead finalised in Kerala. [81] The schedule there was intended to begin on 16 March, [82] but commenced two days later. [83] After Kaavalan (2011), Vijay would make his return to Kerala for filming with this film.
Therefore, the fans of his gathered in front of the airport the actor would land at. A crowd was gathered from 11am to 5pm. [84] The schedule began filming in Greenfield International Stadium at Thiruvananthapuram. [85] A sequence featuring at least 3000 background artists was reportedly filmed inside of the stadium. [84] Because of his fans presence outside the stadium at midnight during filming on 21 March, Vijay paused the shooting, met and greeted with them. [86] On the day after, the actor arranged an outside gathering there with his fans. As his usual trademark, he took a video and posted it on his social media pages. [87] Filming for the scheduled portions was completed by 23 March. [88] On 7 April, the makers flew to Moscow in Russia for the following schedule. [89] The sequence filmed at the beginning of the schedule was reported to be filmed at a school campus. [90] A chase sequence was filmed in the schedule. Vijay returned to Chennai on 18 April to cast his vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. [91] The actor received an injury during filming before flying back. A short schedule, with Vijay being a part, began filming soon after in Chennai. [92]
In March 2024, Venkat Prabhu confirmed that VFX and CGI works had begun, simultaneously with filming, in Chennai and Los Angeles. He further added that the effects works would be done by five companies. [93] [94] Harihara Suthan is the film's visual effects supervisor, under SuthanVFX, along with B2H Studios which will be handling the digital intermediate.[ citation needed ] The Times of India reported that ₹6 crore (US$750,000) was used on advanced de-aging technology for a ten-minute sequence featuring the younger character of Vijay. [95] Initially, the film was planned to be released in June, coinciding with Vijay's 50th birthday; however, it was delayed due to extensive post-production and VFX works. [96] [97]
The Greatest of All Time | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 2024 | |||
Recorded | October 2023–2024 | |||
Studio | U1 Records, Chennai AI Watan Studios, Dubai High Tide Studios, Germany | |||
Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
Language | Tamil | |||
Label | T-Series | |||
Producer | Yuvan Shankar Raja | |||
Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Greatest of All Time | ||||
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The music and background score is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, in his second collaboration with Vijay after Pudhiya Geethai , and tenth with Prabhu. [98] The audio rights for the film were purchased by T-Series for ₹26 crore (US$3.3 million). [99] Prabhu's father Gangai Amaran, Madhan Karky, Kabilan Vairamuthu and Vivek were revealed to be writing the lyrics for the tracks. [100] Arivu was initially signed to write one track; however, due to reasons unknown, he was subsequently replaced with Vivek. [101]
The first single, "Whistle Podu", which Yuvan stated would be a dappankuthu number, was released on 14 April 2024. [102] [103] The song received a mixed response from fans, although some felt its reception would improve with time. [104] Despite the mixed response, it became South India's most-viewed first single lyrical video gaining 25.5 million views within 24 hours, beating "Arabic Kuthu" which gained 23.7 million views. [105] The second single is scheduled to release in June. [106]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Singer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Whistle Podu" | Madhan Karky | Vijay, Venkat Prabhu, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Premji Amaran | 4:47 |
The Greatest of All Time is scheduled to release theatrically on 5 September 2024, coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi. [107] Apart from the original Tamil version, it is also scheduled to be released with dubbed versions in Telugu and Hindi. [108] The film's overseas theatrical rights were sold to Phars Films. [109]
The film's streaming rights were acquired by Netflix for ₹125 crore (US$16 million). [110] [111]
Following the release of the song "Whistle Podu", a social activitist filed a police complaint at Mylapore Police Station in Chennai to DGP Office, stating that the lyrical video did not feature any disclaimer on drinking or smoking and promotes drug addiction and rowdyism to the youth, demanding an action towards Vijay and ban to the song. [112]
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian Composer and Playback singer. He mainly scores music for Tamil films along with few Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Western music elements and often credited with having introduced hip hop to the Tamil film and music industry and started the "era of remixes" in Tamil Nadu which included mixed EDM and jazz. He is frequently referred to as the "BGM King" and the "Young Maestro" of Tamil Film Music. Yuvan has won two Filmfare Awards South, five Mirchi Music Awards South, three Vijay Awards and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, known professionally as Vijay, is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning in just over 3 decades, Vijay has acted in over 65 films and is one of the most commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema with multiple films amongst the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time and is amongst the highest paid actors in India.
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren, better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian director, actor and playback singer in Tamil film industry. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his first three ventures featuring him in a starring role, failing to release, following which he began appearing in character roles.
Chennai 600028 is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his directorial debut. It stars Jai, Shiva, Premji, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Vijay Vasanth, Prasanna, Inigo Prabakaran, Karthik and Arun in the lead along with Vijayalakshmi Feroz and Kristine Zedek, making their acting debut as well. The film was produced by S. P. B. Charan along with J. K. Saravana, a Singapore-based award-winning producer. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by Premji Amaran and Yuvan Shankar Raja respectively.
Prem Kumar Gangai Amaren, better known as Premgi or Premji, is an Indian singer, composer, songwriter, actor and comedian. The son of composer and director Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and is known for his comical performances in his elder brother Venkat Prabhu's films. His stage name, Premgi, is actually a spelling error, as it is meant to be "Prem G.", the G referring standing for Gangai. He is also best known for his catchphrases Enna Koduma Sir Idhu ? and Evvalavo pannitom, itha panna mattoma, the former being a modified version of a famous dialogue used by Prabhu in Chandramukhi (2005).
Sumanth Reddy, better known as Vaibhav, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil film industry and few Telugu films. He made his debut with the Telugu film Godava (2007) under his father, A. Kodandarami Reddy's direction. He is best known for his performances in Venkat Prabhu films Saroja (2008), Goa (2010), Mankatha (2011), Chennai 600028 (2016) and movies such as Kappal (2014), Aambala (2015), Aranmanai 2 (2016) and Meyaadha Maan (2017).
Goa is the soundtrack album by Yuvan Shankar Raja to the 2010 romantic comedy film of the same name, directed by Venkat Prabhu, and produced by Soundarya Rajinikanth's Ocher Studios, starring Jai, Vaibhav, Premji Amaran, Sneha, Piaa Bajpai and Melanie Marie Jobstreibitzer in prominent roles.
Mankatha (transl. Gambling) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, and produced by Dayanidhi Azhagiri under Cloud Nine Movies. The film stars Ajith Kumar, in his 50th credited film, leading an ensemble cast which includes Arjun, Trisha, Lakshmi Rai, Anjali, Andrea Jeremiah, Ashwin Kakumanu, Vaibhav, Premji Amaren, Mahat Raghavendra, Jayaprakash, Aravind Akash and Subbu Panchu. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the musical score and soundtrack, with Sakthi Saravanan working as the cinematographer and the duo Praveen K. L. and N. B. Srikanth as editors. Set in Mumbai, the film revolves around a heist of cricket betting money, carried out by a gang of four thieves, who are joined by a fifth unknown man, and its aftermath.
Mankatha is the soundtrack album, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, to the 2011 film of the same name, directed by Venkat Prabhu starring Ajith Kumar. The album features eight tracks, with lyrics penned by Vaali, Gangai Amaran, and Niranjan Bharathi. Following a number of postponements, it was finally released on 10 August 2011 by Sony Music India.
Biriyani is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action comedy thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Studio Green. It stars Karthi and Hansika Motwani alongside an ensemble cast including Premji, Nassar, Ramki, Sampath Raj, Madhumitha, Jayaprakash, Prem, and Mandy Takhar. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the score and soundtrack of Biriyani, which marks his 100th film, while Sakthi Saravanan and Praveen-Srikanth handled cinematography and editing, respectively.
Biriyani is the soundtrack album, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, to the 2013 black comedy film of the same name, directed by Venkat Prabhu starring Karthi, Hansika Motwani, Premgi Amaren and Mandy Takhar. It is the 100th album of Yuvan Shankar Raja. In this album, there are 6 songs and two remixes with lyrics written by Gangai Amaran, Vaali, Madhan Karky, Psycho.unit, Gaana Bala, Tanvi Shah and Yuvan Himself. The film also features Karthi, its protagonist, debuting as a Playback singer. After multiple postponements, the soundtrack album was released on 21 August 2013.
Massu Engira Masilamani, also known by its former title Masss, is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action horror comedy film directed by Venkat Prabhu. The film was produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under his Studio Green banner alongside his then-newly formed studio Aadnah Arts, and was distributed by Eros International and Dream factory. The film features an ensemble cast including Suriya, Nayanthara, Pranitha Subhash, Premgi, Parthiban and Samuthirakani. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the film's soundtrack and score, whereas cinematography and editing were handled by R. D. Rajasekhar and Praveen K. L. respectively. In the film Masss, A con artist starts interacting with ghosts when his partner in crime dies in an accident. During one such encounter, he stumbles upon Shakthi, a ghost who wants to seek revenge against his family's killers.
Theri is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Atlee and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu under the banner V Creations. Inspired from Mani Ratnam's film Chatriyan, the film stars Vijay, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Amy Jackson, Nainika, Radhika Sarathkumar, Rajendran and Mahendran. The music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, with cinematography handled by George C. Williams and editing by Ruben. In the film, a former cop is on a mission to protect his daughter from his past enemies.
Mersal (transl. Zapped) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Atlee and produced by Thenandal Studio Limited, in the studio's hundredth film production. The film stars Vijay in triple roles, alongside S. J. Suryah, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen. Sathyaraj, Vadivelu, Hareesh Peradi, Kovai Sarala and Sathyan play supporting roles. It is the second out of the three collaboration between Vijay and Atlee, before they began working with others. The film follows two brothers who were separated at birth; Vetri, a magician avenging his parents deaths and medical crimes, and Maaran, a reputed doctor who charges meagre amounts from his patients.
Maanaadu is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Suresh Kamatchi. The film stars Silambarasan, leading an ensemble cast which includes S. J. Suryah, Kalyani Priyadarshan, S. A. Chandrasekhar, Y. G. Mahendran, Karunakaran, Premgi Amaren, Aravind Akash and Anjena Kirti. It follows an NRI and a police officer who are trapped in a time loop, on the day of a public conference, and forced to live the same day over and over again.
Bigil (transl. Whistle) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language sports action drama film directed by Atlee and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay in dual roles, alongside Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff, Vivek, Kathir, Daniel Balaji, Anandaraj, Yogi Babu, I. M. Vijayan, Arjan Bajwa, Indhuja Ravichandran, and Amritha Aiyer. It is the third and final collaboration of Vijay with Atlee after Theri (2016) and Mersal (2017), before both began working with others. The film follows Michael "Bigil", a footballer-turned-gangster, who decides to coach a women's football team when their coach gets attacked.
Beast is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, and produced by Sun Pictures. The film stars Vijay, alongside Pooja Hegde, Selvaraghavan, Shaji Chen, VTV Ganesh, Ankur Vikal, Aparna Das, Sathish Krishnan, Shine Tom Chacko, Yogi Babu and Redin Kingsley. It follows Veeraraghavan "Veera", an ex-RAW agent, who is trapped in a shopping mall by terrorists and seeks to rescue the hostages.
Varisu ( transl. Heir) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Vamshi Paidipally, who co-wrote the film with Hari, Ashishor Solomon and Vivek Velmurugan. Produced jointly by Dil Raju and Sirish under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Creations and PVP Cinema. The film stars an ensemble cast of Vijay, R. Sarathkumar, Srikanth, Shaam, Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Rashmika Mandanna, Jayasudha, Sangeetha, Samyuktha Shanmughanadhan, Nandini Rai, Yogi Babu, Ganesh Venkatraman, S. J. Suryah and Suman. It focuses on an entrepreneur's youngest son being named the chairman of his father's business, much to the dismay of his two brothers.
SK23 is the working title of an upcoming Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by AR Murugadoss, and produced by N. V. Prasad under Sri Lakshmi Movies. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role alongside Rukmini Vasanth and Biju Menon.