3 min readHyderabadOct 5, 2026 09:55 PM IST
Filmmaker Atlee has declared his ambition to take the Vijay Sethupathi-starrer Baththa to the Oscars, saying he dreams of standing on the Academy stage and delivering his speech entirely in Tamil. He also revealed that Hollywood professionals working on his upcoming directorial Raaka with Allu Arjun were left stunned by the film’s songs, asking, “Who is this guy?”
Speaking at the Baththa success meet on Saturday, Atlee framed his ambition with a reference to his own journey. “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.
He was unequivocal about one thing: if the opportunity comes, the language of his speech will not be 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.”
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Atlee then turned to his upcoming directorial Raaka, starring Allu Arjun, and revealed that international professionals working on the film were impressed by young composer Sai Abhyankkar’s work.
“Tamil people will feel really proud of Raaka. The Hollywood people working on Raaka were stunned and said, ‘Yaarra ivan?’ (Who is this guy?),” Atlee said, referring to Sai.
Recalling a music composition session for Raaka in London, Atlee said Sai worked at a studio used by acclaimed composers such as Hans Zimmer and Ludwig Göransson. “We went to London for the composition of Raaka, where big music directors Hans Zimmer and Ludwig do composition,” he said. According to Atlee, the international musicians present at the studio were surprised by the quality of work coming from the young Indian composer.
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The filmmaker also used the Baththa success meet to defend Sai Abhyankkar against the nepotism accusations the young composer has faced on social media. “You are not a nepo kid, like others are saying,” Atlee said, addressing Abhyankkar directly. “He is not just the person who came with Katchi Sera and Aasa Kooda. He is going to bring pride to Tamil people.”
Also Read – Baththa movie review: Vijay Sethupathi shines in a film that earns every emotion
About Baththa
Baththa, directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan in his third collaboration with Vijay Sethupathi after Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom and Seethakaathi, is set in 1986 Madras and follows a feared local gangster who gets accidentally locked inside a school toilet by an eight-year-old boy.
Baththa stars Vijay Sethupathi as the titular gangster Baththa, with child actor Sai playing the boy. Lijomol Jose plays Baththa’s wife. The supporting cast 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, with Murad Khetani, Priya Atlee, Alok Jain and Ajit Andhare as producers.
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