I is an upcoming Indian Tamil romantic action thriller film written and directed by Shankar. The film was produced and distributed by Venu Ravichandran under his production banner, Aascar Films. The film stars Vikram and Amy Jackson in the lead roles along with Suresh Gopi , Upen Patel and Santhanam in supporting roles. P. C. Sreeram was the film's cinematographer, editing was done by Anthony and the film's original songs and background score was composed by A. R. Rahman. Weta Workshop worked on the digital make-up and background arts for the film. It was confirmed that the dubbed Telugu version of the film, earlier titled as Manoharudu, would also have the same title as the original version.
Principal photography commenced on 15 July 2012. The filming lasted for two years and eight months, during which shooting was done extensively in China.
On Weta, Shankar said,
I had storming sessions regarding the look of Vikram and others in ‘I’. They took me through the whole Weta Workshop and I was amazed to know all the stunning visuals, makeup and props which I saw in the recent year’s movies are done by Weta.
Actor Vikram was provided with a catchy makeup by Sean Foot and Davina Lamont. Additional prosthetic makeup was done by Hollywood's Christien Tinsley and Dominie Till. The film was earlier reported to be titled as Thendral or Therdal, but it was later confirmed that the project would be titled I. According to The Times of India, Shankar opted for this title as he thought it "explains all the characteristics of the protagonist"; the word has a variety of meanings, which include "king, beauty, astonishment, guru, vulnerability, owner and arrow". Designers Gavin Miguel and Mary E. Vogt have designed the costumes for the characters in the film.
Vikram was confirmed to play the lead role First, it was reported that Asin, would play the lead. Deepika Padukone, though reported, denied her association with film and Priyanka Chopra was also rumored for the same. Initially, Samantha Ruth Prabhu signed on, but the actress was forced to opt out as she was unable to allot larger number of dates that were required for the film. Further she clarified being busy for her Telugu film outings. Amy Jackson was then signed on to play a village girl in the film. Jackson was paid INR7.5 million (US$120,000) for her participation in the film. Santhanam was also selected to be a part of this film. Malayalam star Suresh Gopi was selected playing the role of a doctor. Ramkumar Ganesan is enacting a major role in the film. Actor Srinivasan was chosen to play a significant role in the film. Bollywood actor Upen Patel was added to the cast, therefore making his debut in Tamil cinema through this film. Jiiva was considered for playing the antagonist, but was unable to accept the offer due to his prior commitments. He was actually hesitant on playing such a character, as his antagonistic performance in Singam Puli (2011) received mixed response. It was reported that American actor Arnold Schwarzeneggar was cast as an award presenter for a brief scene, but Ravichandran denied the news as a baseless rumor, but said that he would definitely grace the audio launch of the film, further saying that Vikram took some weight loss and gain tips from Arnold as well. Make-up artist in real life, Ojas M. Rajani was reported to play the role of a gay make-up artiste in the film. Mr. Asia 2014 Syed Siddiq confirmed that he would feature in a few fight sequences with Vikram.
Filming
"All this is original make-up. We have about 4000 hours of footage of the elaborate make-up process alone, from the film's start to prove that there is no CG involved. Vikram weighs just 45 kgs in this song, and there was about 12 hours of make-up involved every day. Vikram used to be in a large fridge when the shot wasn't happening, and food was given to him through a tube. The song was shot for 2 hours each day and a doctor was there on the spot everyday to monitor Vikram's health."
Venu Ravichandran about the preparation for Vikram's role in shooting for the song "Ennodu Nee Irundhaal"
The film had its official launch on 15 July 2012 accompanying a poster photo shoot that featured Vikram and Jackson. The first schedule of filming was completed in Chennai by early September 2012. Majority scenes in the film have background arts created by Weta. The main cast and crew were off to China for a 45 day schedule to shoot certain stunt scenes while some song sequences were also canned at scenic locales, especially in northern Hunan. The schedule in China was wrapped up by late November 2012. As per reports, filming was expected to be done across eight different countries over the globe. In January 2013, a fight scene was canned at an abandoned, 20 year old factory in Chennai. 60% of the shooting was completed by the end of the same month. By March 2013, four songs and three major action sequences were shot around China, Bangkok, Jodhpur, Kodaikanal, Pollachi and Chennai. In June 2013, three week filming schedule was completed in Bangalore, Mysore and Chennai. 75% of the shooting was completed by July 2013. In August 2013, filming began at a hospital in Kilpauk and Ambattur in Chennai as well. Thirty days were allotted to shoot the climax. A dance number featuring the Jackson and Upen Patel was shot in November 2013. The filming was wrapped up by 1 March 2014 except for a dance number that introduced Amy Jackson which was shot in Chennai on 25 April 2014. Upen Patel also took part in the song. One more song sequence and patch-work for the film were set to be completed by September 2014. Shankar confirmed that the song would be shot after the film's audio launch. As per reports, a song of 5 minutes duration was shot for 40 days. For filming one of the songs, Vikram had gained a lot of weight of about 110 kg as he had to wear bulky costumes for the number. It was reported that he would also feature as a 50 kg man in the film's first half and would retain his 110 kg appearance in the second half. To prove that Vikram lost and gained weight, director Shankar had shot a promotional video of Vikram's weight loss and weight gain programs that would have its release prior to the film's release. Vikram had to put on make-up that would take 12 hours to be effiective for shooting and for this reason, he had to stay inside a refrigerator for five minutes as the make-up needed to remain cool. Vikram also went bald for the film to change his looks in the film easier. Santhanam too lost a lot of weight for his role as well.
A. R. Rahman composed the original songs and background score for the film. Venu Ravichandran confirmed that the music of the Tamil version would be released on a grand scale at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on 15 September 2014. On 5 September 2014, Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed himself via a video on YouTube, that he would be present as an invitee at the forthcoming event. It was also confirmed later that Rajinikanth would attend the audio launch.
Principal photography commenced on 15 July 2012. The filming lasted for two years and eight months, during which shooting was done extensively in China.
On Weta, Shankar said,
I had storming sessions regarding the look of Vikram and others in ‘I’. They took me through the whole Weta Workshop and I was amazed to know all the stunning visuals, makeup and props which I saw in the recent year’s movies are done by Weta.
Actor Vikram was provided with a catchy makeup by Sean Foot and Davina Lamont. Additional prosthetic makeup was done by Hollywood's Christien Tinsley and Dominie Till. The film was earlier reported to be titled as Thendral or Therdal, but it was later confirmed that the project would be titled I. According to The Times of India, Shankar opted for this title as he thought it "explains all the characteristics of the protagonist"; the word has a variety of meanings, which include "king, beauty, astonishment, guru, vulnerability, owner and arrow". Designers Gavin Miguel and Mary E. Vogt have designed the costumes for the characters in the film.
Vikram was confirmed to play the lead role First, it was reported that Asin, would play the lead. Deepika Padukone, though reported, denied her association with film and Priyanka Chopra was also rumored for the same. Initially, Samantha Ruth Prabhu signed on, but the actress was forced to opt out as she was unable to allot larger number of dates that were required for the film. Further she clarified being busy for her Telugu film outings. Amy Jackson was then signed on to play a village girl in the film. Jackson was paid INR7.5 million (US$120,000) for her participation in the film. Santhanam was also selected to be a part of this film. Malayalam star Suresh Gopi was selected playing the role of a doctor. Ramkumar Ganesan is enacting a major role in the film. Actor Srinivasan was chosen to play a significant role in the film. Bollywood actor Upen Patel was added to the cast, therefore making his debut in Tamil cinema through this film. Jiiva was considered for playing the antagonist, but was unable to accept the offer due to his prior commitments. He was actually hesitant on playing such a character, as his antagonistic performance in Singam Puli (2011) received mixed response. It was reported that American actor Arnold Schwarzeneggar was cast as an award presenter for a brief scene, but Ravichandran denied the news as a baseless rumor, but said that he would definitely grace the audio launch of the film, further saying that Vikram took some weight loss and gain tips from Arnold as well. Make-up artist in real life, Ojas M. Rajani was reported to play the role of a gay make-up artiste in the film. Mr. Asia 2014 Syed Siddiq confirmed that he would feature in a few fight sequences with Vikram.
Filming
"All this is original make-up. We have about 4000 hours of footage of the elaborate make-up process alone, from the film's start to prove that there is no CG involved. Vikram weighs just 45 kgs in this song, and there was about 12 hours of make-up involved every day. Vikram used to be in a large fridge when the shot wasn't happening, and food was given to him through a tube. The song was shot for 2 hours each day and a doctor was there on the spot everyday to monitor Vikram's health."
Venu Ravichandran about the preparation for Vikram's role in shooting for the song "Ennodu Nee Irundhaal"
The film had its official launch on 15 July 2012 accompanying a poster photo shoot that featured Vikram and Jackson. The first schedule of filming was completed in Chennai by early September 2012. Majority scenes in the film have background arts created by Weta. The main cast and crew were off to China for a 45 day schedule to shoot certain stunt scenes while some song sequences were also canned at scenic locales, especially in northern Hunan. The schedule in China was wrapped up by late November 2012. As per reports, filming was expected to be done across eight different countries over the globe. In January 2013, a fight scene was canned at an abandoned, 20 year old factory in Chennai. 60% of the shooting was completed by the end of the same month. By March 2013, four songs and three major action sequences were shot around China, Bangkok, Jodhpur, Kodaikanal, Pollachi and Chennai. In June 2013, three week filming schedule was completed in Bangalore, Mysore and Chennai. 75% of the shooting was completed by July 2013. In August 2013, filming began at a hospital in Kilpauk and Ambattur in Chennai as well. Thirty days were allotted to shoot the climax. A dance number featuring the Jackson and Upen Patel was shot in November 2013. The filming was wrapped up by 1 March 2014 except for a dance number that introduced Amy Jackson which was shot in Chennai on 25 April 2014. Upen Patel also took part in the song. One more song sequence and patch-work for the film were set to be completed by September 2014. Shankar confirmed that the song would be shot after the film's audio launch. As per reports, a song of 5 minutes duration was shot for 40 days. For filming one of the songs, Vikram had gained a lot of weight of about 110 kg as he had to wear bulky costumes for the number. It was reported that he would also feature as a 50 kg man in the film's first half and would retain his 110 kg appearance in the second half. To prove that Vikram lost and gained weight, director Shankar had shot a promotional video of Vikram's weight loss and weight gain programs that would have its release prior to the film's release. Vikram had to put on make-up that would take 12 hours to be effiective for shooting and for this reason, he had to stay inside a refrigerator for five minutes as the make-up needed to remain cool. Vikram also went bald for the film to change his looks in the film easier. Santhanam too lost a lot of weight for his role as well.
A. R. Rahman composed the original songs and background score for the film. Venu Ravichandran confirmed that the music of the Tamil version would be released on a grand scale at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on 15 September 2014. On 5 September 2014, Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed himself via a video on YouTube, that he would be present as an invitee at the forthcoming event. It was also confirmed later that Rajinikanth would attend the audio launch.
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