I is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language romantic action thriller film directed and co-written by Shankar, produced and distributed by V. Ravichandran under Aascar Films. The film stars Vikram, Amy Jackson and Suresh Gopi in the lead roles along with Santhanam, Ramkumar Ganesan, Upen Patel, M. Kamaraj and Ojas Rajani in supporting roles. The film, told in nonlinear narrative, tells the story of Lingesan, a bodybuilder-turned-supermodel, who sets out to exact revenge against his enemies after they disfigure him by injecting him with the I virus. Parts of the film were loosely based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast.
The music was composed by A. R. Rahman, while the cinematography and editing were handled by P. C. Sreeram and Anthony. The production design was handled by T. Muthuraj, while the VFX were designed by V. Srinivas Mohan through Rising Sun Pictures. Weta Workshop had worked on the digital and prosthetic make-up and background arts for the film. Principal photography commenced on 15 July 2012. The filming lasted for two years and eight months, during which shooting was done extensively in China. Further schedules were filmed in locations in Chennai, Bangkok, Jodhpur, Kodaikanal, Pollachi, Bangalore and Mysore. The climax was shot in the railway stations of Chengalpattu, Rayagada, Berhampur and Visakhapatnam. The film was released in Telugu and Hindi languages, along with the original version.
I was released on 14 January 2015, coinciding with Pongal festival, and received positive reviews from critics with praise for its direction, cast performances (especially Vikram, Amy Jackson, and Suresh Gopi), cinematography, VFX, production design, action sequences and music. The film was a commercial success, grossing 240 crore worldwide, becoming one of the highest grossing Tamil films of all time and Vikram's highest-grossing film until Ponniyin Selvan: I. Vikram won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for his performance in the film.
Plot Lingesan is an ambitious bodybuilder from Chennai whose ultimate goal is to win the prestigious Mr. India pageant. After securing the title of Mr. Tamil Nadu, he earns a direct entry into the national competition. He harbors an intense crush on Diya, a prominent supermodel. Diya's career is abruptly derailed when John, her manipulative co-star, blacklists her across major advertising agencies after she rejects his unwanted sexual advances. Desperate to salvage her career, Diya replaces John with Lingesan for an upcoming high-profile commercial shoot in China. Because the shooting schedule directly clashes with the Mr. India pageant, Lingesan chooses to sacrifice his lifelong bodybuilding ambitions to help her.
Undergoing a radical makeover by a transgender stylist named Osma Jasmine, Lingesan is rebranded as "Lee" for the fashion industry. He initially struggles with intense shyness on set. To help him relax, Diya feigns romantic interest on the advice of her director. Although the tactic succeeds, Lingesan is deeply hurt when she reveals the deception. He subsequently pivots his focus entirely toward his modeling career. The duo achieves massive commercial success as a premier modeling pair, and over time, Diya genuinely reciprocates Lingesan's affection, culminating in their formal engagement.
Lingesan's meteoric rise earns him a cabal of ruthless enemies: John, whose modeling career collapses due to Lingesan's popularity; Osma, whose romantic advances Lingesan firmly rejected; Indrakumar, an industrialist who suffered immense corporate losses after Lingesan refused to endorse a pesticide-laced beverage; and Ravi, a rival bodybuilder humiliated by his defeat at the Mr. Tamil Nadu pageant. These four individuals conspire to destroy him, eventually kidnapping and brutally assaulting him. The following morning, Lingesan awakens in his vehicle with no memory of the encounter.
Days before his wedding, Lingesan notices alarming physical symptoms, including rapid hair loss, teeth falling out, and severe skin lesions. He seeks medical counsel from Dr. Vasudevan, a trusted family physician and guardian to Diya's household. Vasudevan diagnoses him with a rare, incurable genetic disorder that triggers premature aging. As Lingesan's body rapidly deforms into that of a hunchback, he fakes his death in a car accident to spare Diya from a life with him, retreating into total isolation. Believing Diya is emotionally ruined, Lingesan requests Vasudevan to marry her. Vasudevan agrees, and a wedding date is set.
On the eve of the wedding, another physician, Dr. Thiruvengadam, discovers that Lingesan's condition is not genetic. Instead, he is suffering from an advanced H4N2 influenza strain engineered as the lethal "I" virus, which can only be introduced via direct injection. Lingesan discovers that his four enemies-and, to his horror, Vasudevan himself—orchestrated the plot. Vasudevan had harbored an obsessive fixation on Diya since her childhood and sided with the conspirators out of jealousy when she chose Lingesan. It was Vasudevan who injected the virus while Lingesan was unconscious during the kidnapping. Enraged, Lingesan abducts Diya from the wedding venue, securing her in an isolated mansion without exposing his identity.
Aided by his loyal friend Babu, Lingesan executes a calculated campaign of non-lethal revenge to poetically disfigure his tormentors. He traps Ravi and sets him on fire, leaving him with severe third-degree burns. He taints Osma's cosmetic products with a specialized chemical compound, causing her to develop severe, irreversible hypertrichosis. He douses Indrakumar in concentrated sugar syrup, unleashing a swarm of bees that sting him into permanent disfigurement. He lures John onto a moving train, orchestrating a fight that leaves John permanently deformed by high-voltage electrocution. Finally, he tricks Vasudevan into repeatedly injecting himself with the virus that causes Elephantiasis under the guise of an rabies antidote, causing Vasudevan's entire body to bloat and swell horrifically.
With his vengeance complete, Lingesan reveals his true identity and physical deformity to Diya. Though initially shocked, her love remains steadfast. Rejecting societal expectations, they choose to live a secluded life together in the countryside. Embracing a rigorous recovery regimen consisting of advanced stem-cell therapy, blood transfusions, yoga, and alternative medicine, Lingesan slowly reverses the viral damage and gradually restores his original physical form.
Cast As per the film's opening and end credits.
Production
Origin In an interview with the Tamil channel Sun TV, held shortly after the release of Enthiran in October 2010, the film's lead actor Rajinikanth revealed that Shankar had approached and pitched three storylines for him to consider for his next venture, 15 years ago, post the release of his directorial, the Kamal Haasan-starrer Indian (1996). Rajinikanth was impressed with two of the scripts and agreed to star in the films, which became Sivaji (2007) and Enthiran (2010). The third script narrated by Shankar was centered on an aspiring bodybuilder who would later turn into a deformed hunchback following a freak accident. Rajinikanth was sceptical of it and refused it. Following the release of Nanban (2012), Shankar revived the project with Vikram in the lead, his second collaboration with the actor after Anniyan (2005).
Development Shankar collaborated with writer-duo Suresh and Balakrishnan, to work on the script of his next film. His norm collaborator A. R. Rahman was signed in to compose the soundtrack album and background score for the film, working with Shankar for the tenth time. P. C. Sreeram was confirmed to do the film's cinematography in his maiden association with the actor. Action choreographer Peter Hein was initially roped in the project, but he had to back out, due to commitments with S. S. Rajamouli's film Baahubali (2015). As a result, Martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping was selected for handling the stunt sequences. Additional stunt direction and supervision was done by Anl Arasu. VFX company Rising Sun Pictures under visual effects designer V. Srinivas Mohan was selected to provide the special effects in motion filming, while Indian art director Thotta Tharani was confirmed as the film's art director. In May 2012, Shankar visited New Zealand and met filmmaker Peter Jackson and Richard Taylor's special effects and prop company Weta Workshop. Sean Foot and Davina Lamont provided the prosthetic makeup for Vikram's beast get-up in the film and additional prosthetic makeup was done by Christien Tinsley and Dominie Till.Director Shankar hires 'Avatar' make-up artistes for 'I' – IBNLive. Ibnlive.in.com (19 March 2013). Retrieved on 18 July 2015. Gavin Miguel and Mary E. Vogt were in charge of the costume designing of the film's cast.
The film was earlier reported to be titled as either Thendral or Therdal, while Azhagan and Aanazhagan were also used as alternate titles that Shankar had kept in mind. Since they were already used in the Tamil films released during 1991 and 1995, Shankar decided that a single alphabet would be the film's title. In mid-2012, the team confirmed that the project would be titled I. According to The Times of India, Shankar opted for the title I as he thought it "explains all the characteristics of the protagonist"; the word has a variety of meanings, which include "king, beauty, astonishment, guru, vulnerability, owner and arrow". The film's title got the name, as in the film, Lingesan (Vikram's character) was deformed due to H4N2 Influenza caused by the "I" virus that had transmitted due to an injection.
In September 2014, producer and distributor V. Ravichandran, stated the project would cost about , however by October 2014, he and director Shankar was widely quoted as stating the budget would be less than .
Casting In April 2012, Vikram was selected to feature in the lead role. Priyanka Chopra was initially reported to be in talks for the female lead.Vikram and Asin to act together in Shankar's next film . CNN-IBN.com (18 May 2012). Retrieved 15 April 2015. Later, Asin's name was suggested along with Chopra. It was reported that Deepika Padukone was also approached, but she denied her involvement in the film. Model-turned-actress Evelyn Sharma eventually selected for the female lead, by an audition, but had opted out due to language reasons. She claimed this in an interview, more than a week after the film's release.Evelyn Sharma wants to work in Tamil cinema. Hindustan Times. (22 January 2015). Retrieved 15 April 2015. Samantha Ruth Prabhu was then signed on, but she had opted out of the project citing scheduling conflicts. The role finally went to Amy Jackson, who was paid for acting in the film. It became her second collaboration with Vikram after the film Thaandavam. Raveena Ravi dubbed the voice for her role. Ramkumar Ganesan, a leading film producer and the elder son of the late-Tamil thespian Sivaji Ganesan, was also added to the cast to play a pivotal role in the film. Jiiva was considered for portraying the antagonist, but was unable to accept the offer due to his prior commitments. The role instead went to Upen Patel. Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was reported to play an award presenter for a brief scene. Ravichandran, however, denied the news, but said that he would appear in the audio launch of the film. To prepare for his role in I, Vikram took some weight loss and gain tips from Arnold as well. Make-up artiste Ojas M. Rajani, who previously worked with Shankar in Anniyan, was reported to play the role of a transgender make-up artiste in the film in addition to being the make-up artiste for Amy Jackson. Mr. Asia contest participant Syed Siddiq appeared in the action sequences featuring Vikram.
Characterisation