Vignesh Shivan addresses losing Ajith’s film, recalls Anirudh Ravichander giving him Rs 50,000 when he was left with Rs 250

Vignesh did not hold back on stage. “I was supposed to do the biggest film of my career,” he said. “When the bride leaves just before the marriage, that was my situation.”

The aftermath was equally hard to take. Industry voices, he recalled, began suggesting he scale down. “Everyone asked me to do a compact budget film after that,” he said, slipping into Tamil to describe how people had written him off. He told the audience that LIK is where all of it comes together. “All my dreams are going to come onscreen on April 10. Hope the audience will like LIK,” he said.

The Rs 250 bus ride

From the Ajith setback, Vignesh went further back in time to a period when even getting a film off the ground felt impossible. While making Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, his second directorial, he had wanted to travel to Pondicherry for a shoot. He had no money. His entire financial situation at that moment came down to Rs 250, just enough for a bus ticket. He boarded anyway.

On that journey, a message came through from composer Anirudh Ravichander, his long-time collaborator and close friend. Vignesh had said nothing to him about the situation. Anirudh had simply written: “Vicky, I’ve kept 50,000 in your bag.” “The bus window was filled with my tears,” Vignesh told the audience.

It is a moment that says as much about Anirudh as it does about Vignesh. At the time, Anirudh was not yet the force he is in Tamil film music today. Naanum Rowdy Dhaan released in 2015 and became one of Vignesh’s most celebrated films. In LIK, the two are together again. Anirudh has scored the film’s music and also voices a robot character in it called Bro 9000.

Pradeep gave up an opportunity while shooting for LIK

The delays around LIK stretch back over seven months. The film was first planned for September 2025, then moved to Diwali in October, then December 2025, and then pushed further still before landing on April 10. Through every shift, Pradeep Ranganathan stayed attached to the project, even when it cost him something.

Vignesh revealed on stage that during one of LIK’s delay periods, Pradeep had been offered the chance to direct a film of his own. He turned it down. “When LIK got delayed, Pradeep Ranganathan had the biggest opportunity to direct a film, but he sacrificed that for me,” Vignesh said.

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He also spoke about a specific moment during the shoot of the film’s interval scene, which he described as the most important emotional sequence in LIK. The scene was shot in Delhi, and by his account, the set was in chaos at the time. “During the shoot of the interval in Delhi, we had a big chaos and issue on set,” Vignesh said. “If it was any other actor in that situation, they couldn’t have acted it. But Pradeep did it perfectly, even with that situation. He is a gifted actor.”

Vignesh about Nayanthara

Throughout the event, a section of the audience was quietly waiting for something else: Nayanthara. She rarely attends film promotional events and has maintained that boundary consistently. Vignesh acknowledged it with a joke. “As a wife and producer, I can’t afford to invite actress Nayanthara to an audio launch,” he said, laughing. He then looked towards the back of the hall, uncertainty creeping into his tone. “Don’t know if she has escaped. Sometimes she will leave after the event begins. So, I don’t know what’s going on.”

Then Nayanthara walked in from backstage, smiling. Vignesh went quiet. He pulled her into a long hug and became visibly emotional. When the crowd called out for her to speak, she stepped back, greeted everyone with folded hands, and said nothing.

Love Insurance Kompany releases in theatres on April 10, 2026.