Writer-director Karthik Subbaraj recently spoke in-depth about his latest crossover gangster drama film 'Jagame Thandhiram' featuring Tamil star Dhanush and Hollywood actor James Cosmo of 'Games of Thrones' fame. He said he aimed to reach out to the Indian and international audience. Talking in an interview, Subbaraj said. “I felt I should make a film in New York with a known gangster face and a Tamil character from Madurai. It should be a global story. The initial idea was to do a cross country film bringing two worlds together. The aim was to make it enjoyable to Indian and international audiences.”
He added, “The entire gangster scene is totally different, they call it a family, it is called Cosa Nostra (Our Thing in Italian). There are Italian-American gangster families, Irish gangster families, etc. I am from Madurani and I had explored that world with Jigarthanda and I wanted to seamlessly merge both the worlds.” The movie revolves around Suruli, played by Dhanush, a nomadic gangster who has to choose between good and evil in a war for what one can truly call home.
Known for his crime movies, Subbaraj said he never attempts to glorify the bad guys in his movies. “Most of my protagonists are in grey shade because when they shift their focus to the good or bad side, you will be able to see the change and relate to it more. 'Jagame Thandhiram' is not glorifying evil. There is a reason for them (the characters) to do certain things and then the shift happens,” he said.
Produced by YNot Studios and Reliance Entertainment, the film also features Joju George, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Kalaiyarasan.
