Sai Pallavi reveals OM director Rajkumar Periasamy cried over Vijay’s ‘one last time’ Jana Nayagan promo
New Delhi: OM director Rajkumar Periasamy almost cried during a promotional interview when he was shown a picture of Tamil Nadu chief minister and superstar C Joseph Vijay. The OM team, which includes Sai Pallavi and Sreeleela, was promoting the film, and the moment led Sai to recall how Rajkumar had reacted when they first watched the ‘one last time’ promo of Vijay’s final film, Jana Nayagan.
Rajkumar Periasamy and Sai Pallavi on Vijay
The team spoke to anchor Dhivyadharshini on Behindwoods TV ahead of the film’s release. The host put a picture of Rajkumar with Vijay in front of the director, and Sai Pallavi stepped in with a story. She said, “If I know somebody who’s a big fan of Vijay sir, it’s Rajkumar sir. I don’t know whether I was in the shoot or something else…I’ll say?” She was asking the director if she could share it.
Rajkumar gave his consent, and she carried on, “His (Vijay) last film was yet to be released and had a promo called ‘one last time’. I am a very emotional person. I didn’t want to cry because it wouldn’t look good. I turned around, and he (Rajkumar) was actually crying. I’ve never seen sir cry. It’s okay for him to cry in public. But I’ve never seen him do it.”
Sai added that his respect for the actor goes deep. “I’ve seen him actually feel like he’s family. He’s someone who’ll also speak up for Vijay sir. He told me he’s someone who will make up his mind and do it for the people,” she said.
Rajkumar then spoke about the photograph, and his voice grew heavy again. He said, “This picture was taken in 2024 on November 26, at AR Murugadoss sir’s birthday, before he (Vijay) became the CM. It has been two years, but it was a very special meeting. He told a lot of personal things….even now I’m tearing up. He’s very special, yes.”
OM release date and cast
Dhanush and Mammootty lead OM, with Sai Pallavi and Sreeleela as the heroines. Rajkumar has directed Rangoon (2017) and Amaran (2024), in which Sai Pallavi also appeared. OM is his third film and hits theatres on November 20.
Vijay’s switch from films to politics
Vijay stepped into politics in 2024 by launching his own party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and announcing that it would contest the Tamil Nadu elections. He campaigned widely, and the party won a majority this year, with Vijay taking charge in May. No non-Dravidian party had formed the government in the state before.
His farewell film, Jana Nayagan, was directed by H Vinoth, with Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol and Pooja Hegde in the cast. It was originally planned for Pongal, but CBFC issues held it up, and it finally reached theatres in July. Reviews were lukewarm, and the film collected Rs 324 crore worldwide.