What links The Greatest of All Time to Gemini Man? Venkat Prabhu explains

As the release date for his highly anticipated film, The Greatest of All Time, approaches, director Venkat Prabhu has shared insights into the film's origin, and the behind-the-scene efforts that shapped this movie. During a recent interview, Venkat revealed that he developed the concept for the movie during the Covid-19 lockdown, initially starting as a "small idea." This idea expanded significantly when he discovered the possibilities of de-aging technology, which allowed him to envision a more ambitious project.

Thalapathy Vijay typically requires a complete script before agreeing to any film. However, in this case, he made an exception for Venkat Prabhu. Vijay agreed to take on the project based on just a rough idea, without a full narration. Venkat noted, "Mankatha and GOAT were the two movies that I convinced heroes with only ideas."

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Initially, there was speculation that The Greatest of All Time was a remake of the Hollywood film Gemini Man, which also employed de-aging technology to allow one actor to play both a younger and older version of himself. Venkat explained why this misunderstanding occurred, clarifying that the confusion stemmed from his use of the same technology. "It began as a small idea. When I was working on it, initially, I planned to cast two actors to play father and son roles. But, when I heard about this technology, I got interested," he said.

Venkat's exploration into de-aging technology led him to reimagine the film with a major star like Vijay in a dual role, playing both younger and older versions of his character. "When I learned more about this technology, I thought, why can't we cast a big hero like Vijay and do a double role movie?" he explained. He went on to describe how he pitched the idea to Vijay while the actor was shooting for Varisu. Later, during the filming of Leo, Venkat provided Vijay with a rough idea, which was enough to secure his commitment to the project.

The Greatest of All Time is due in cinemas on September 5. 

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