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Director Atlee is currently busy with his ambitious project Raaka, starring Allu Arjun, but his connection with Tamil cinema remains as strong as ever.
The filmmaker recently attended the success meet of Baththa, which he produced, and made a revelation about the Vijay Sethupathi-starrer. Directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan, Baththa hit theatres on October 1 and has been receiving praise from both audiences and critics. Atlee revealed that he has much bigger plans for the film and hopes to take it to the Oscars. He also opened up about his dream of representing Tamil cinema on the global stage.
Atlee’s Oscars dream for Baththa
Atlee has revealed that he wants to takeVijay Sethupathi’s Baththa to the Oscars, calling it as a ambition he is determined to pursue. Speaking at the film’s success meet, the filmmaker recalled how unlikely some of his dreams once seemed.
“People would have laughed at me in school if I had said that I was going to do a film with Shah Rukh Khan and Vijay Anna. But I did it. Just like that, I wish to take Baththa to the Oscars. I want to see what it feels like. I’m doing everything I can to stand there,” he said. Atlee also made it clear that if he gets the opportunity to address the Academy, he would do so in Tamil rather than English.
“I’m definitely going to speak in Tamil. We can do it. We can definitely do it. Hollywood is a small place, and we can go there easily,” he said.
The filmmaker’s comments come after Baththa, directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan, received a positive response following its theatrical release. The film marks his third collaboration with Vijay Sethupathi after Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom and Seethakaathi.
About Baththa
Recently, Baththa caught the attention of filmmaker Shankar Shanmugham. He praised several aspects of the film, including its storytelling, performances, music and memorable moments. While Vijay Sethupathi’s performance was among the biggest strenghts for Shankar, he also singled out one of the youngest member of the cast Prithvi Sai for special praise.
The 1986-set film follows a feared Madras gangster who accidentally gets locked inside a school toilet by an eight-year-old boy. Vijay Sethupathi plays the titular character, while Lijomol Jose plays his wife. The cast also includes Ajay Ghosh, Arjun Chidambaram, Santhy Balachandran and Hari Krishnan. The film is presented by Atlee and jointly produced by A For Apple Studios and Cine1 Studios.
