'Extraordinary storytelling': Netizens hail Chiyaan Vikram's Thangalaan

Vikram in Thangalaan

Chiyaan Vikram and filmmaker Pa Ranjith's much-awaited film 'Thangalaan' has hit the big screens today on the occasion of Independence day. 'Thangalaan' is a historical film that narrates the real story of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) when KGF was discovered by the British who exploited and looted it for their own purpose. The film is going to take ahead the spree of the South industry of bringing unique concepts to the audience. It's yet another film from the South with an unusual concept.

Pa. Ranjith has categorized 'Thangalaan' as a historical film distinct from Prashanth Neel's ‘KGF', which stars Yash. "While KGF focused on Rocky Bhai, Thangalaan is about a community from a century ago. During the Mysore state period, diverse people inhabited the KGF area. The film also examines the aftermath of discovering gold, along with colonialism and societal inequalities that affected the community," Ranjith elaborated.

On the opening day of the film fans of Chiyaan Vikram headed to the theatres in larger numbers and later also shared their thoughts of the film on social media. The reactions are greatly positive with audiences praising Vikram's performance, Pa Ranjith's direction, the bgm and storytelling.

Take a look at the reactions:

As part of the film's promotional tour, Chiyaan Vikram reflected on his experience, describing ‘Thangalaan' as the most challenging project of his career. Vikram said, "I've played many unique roles in films like Anniyan and Pithamagan, but Thangalaan is a standout. This is the most difficult film of my career. We encountered numerous challenges in every scene, including injuries during the shoot. Even the romantic scenes were tough."

He went on to explain, "The real challenge was portraying characters from the British colonial era and indigenous tribes - people we didn't fully understand. We had to embody them, not just act like them. It felt like we were transported back a century."

To fully prepare for the character, Vikram underwent six months of intense training and significantly reduced his weight. He mentioned that the psychological demands of the role were even more taxing than the physical transformation, with daily filming requiring four to five hours of makeup.