Vidaamuyarchi

Vidaamuyarchi (also marketed as Vidaamuyarchi: Perseverance Triumphs) is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Magizh Thirumeni. It is produced by Subaskaran Allirajah under Lyca Productions. The film stars Ajith Kumar, leading an ensemble cast which includes Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra, and Arav.

Initially, Vignesh Shivan was confirmed as director for Ajith's 62nd film. However, he was subsequently replaced with Thirumeni. The film was announced in May 2023, in addition to the official title. Principal photography commenced in October 2023 and is currently being predominantly shot in Azerbaijan. The film has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, while the cinematography is handled by Om Prakash, and editing by N. B. Srikanth.

Vidaamuyarchi is scheduled to release worldwide on 31 October 2024, coinciding Diwali, in theatres.

Cast

 * Ajith Kumar
 * Arjun Sarja
 * Trisha Krishnan
 * Regina Cassandra
 * Arav
 * Nikhil Nair

Development
After the success of Valimai in early 2022, it was reported that Ajith Kumar would join hands with Vignesh Shivan for the actor's 62nd film as a leading actor. Nayanthara would reportedly reunite with Ajith after she was previously paired opposite the latter in Viswasam (2019). Tentatively titled AK62, the production was reported to begin after the actor completes Thunivu (2023). That March, Vignesh confirmed the project, also revealing the inclusion of Anirudh Ravichander. The project was funded by Subaskaran Allirajah's Lyca Productions, which distributed Vignesh's Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015). The company made an public announcement on 19 March 2022, confirming the project. However, the following January, Vignesh was reported to be replaced. Reports claimed it was due to Ajith not being impressed with the script after the director had developed it during the pre-production for six months.

Numerous directors, including AR Murugadoss, Atlee and Magizh Thirumeni, were reported to have been in consideration of replacing Vignesh, with Thirumeni being the front-runner. In February 2023, it was reported that Thirumeni had flew to London, where Ajith was at that time, and narrated a script which impressed the actor. On 1 May, coinciding with Ajith's birthday and May Day, the production house officially announced Thirumeni as the replacement of Vignesh. Anirudh was chosen to score the music, in his first film with the director, while editor N. B. Srikanth and cinematographer Nirav Shah were retained by the director. The film's official title Vidaamuyarchi was revealed the same day. In July 2024, the film was reported to be an official adaptation of the 1997 American film Breakdown, directed by Jonathan Mostow, as there were previous reports of the film being so and many similarities in the promotional posters. Art director Milan died during the film's preliminary shooting.

Casting
Ajith would sport an all-white hairstyle for his character, rather than his usual salt-and-pepper shaded look. Trisha was cast as the female lead, pairing opposite Ajith for the fifth time after Ji (2005), Kireedam (2007), Mankatha (2011) and Yennai Arindhaal (2015). Arav was confirmed to play one of the main antagonists, in his first collaboration with Ajith and second with Thirumeni after Kalaga Thalaivan (2022). Arav had reportedly replaced Arjun Das, who was unable to allocate dates for the film. Regina Cassandra joined the film in an important role, whilst Arjun Sarja was also cast in an important role. He would be reuniting with Ajith after Mankatha.

Filming
Principal photography began with the first schedule on 4 October 2023 in Azerbaijan. Initially, filming was intended to begin in the first week of September 2023, but was delayed due to Ajith's commitments to his world tour. The makers' decision to shoot in Azerbaijan received negative responses from netizens as the country was then under civil unrest, particularly regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Following Milan's death in October due to a heart attack, later that month Ajith urged to set up a medical camp in case of any similar emergencies. In early November, it was reported that the schedule had been completed. A sequence reportedly featured Ajith in a racy car action sequence, in which he did not use any stunt double for.

In early December, the team returned to Chennai due to the undisputed war and border issues at the country, and returned on 11 December. Nirav Shah was replaced with Om Prakash due to the former not being able to allocate dates to travel to Azerbaijan. Arjun joined the film's sets in mid-December. Trisha completed filming her portions for the film schedule by 19 December, returning to Chennai on that day. The schedule concluded by 29 January 2024. On 20 June, the team returned to Azerbaijan. The final schedule was shot in Azerbaijan and the climax portions in Baku. The schedule would reportedly be going for 35–45 days. Ajith, along with Trisha and Arjun, joined the concurrent schedule for some important sequences. According to the head of Lyca Productions, GKM Tamil Kumaran, the principal photography is scheduled to be wrapped by mid-August.

Music
The music and background score is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, in his third collaboration with Ajith after Vedalam (2015), Vivegam (2017); first with Thirumeni. Later, it was revealed that the audio rights were acquired by Sony Music India through the film's poster on Netflix India's post via X.

Marketing
The film's teaser poster was released on 1 May 2023, the occasion of Ajith's birthday, revealing the film's title. The first look poster was released on 30 June 2024. It received generally negative reactions from fans, with some claiming that the fan made posters were better than the official. The second promotional poster which released on 7 July, was regarded by audiences as better than the previous poster. Third look poster with young look of Ajith Kumar with Trisha released on 19th july 2024.

Theatrical
Vidaamuyarchi is scheduled to release worldwide on 31 October 2024 in theatres, coinciding Diwali, clashing with Amaran.

Distribution
Red Giant Movies acquired the distribution rights of the film in Tamil Nadu.

Home media
The post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Netflix and the satellite rights by Sun TV.