Salaga is a love story at the centre of a rowdyism tale

Since he announced his directorial debut, Duniya Vijay’s

Salaga

has created a lot of curiosity, with audiences wondering what he would bring to the table. Not to disappoint them, the actor-director released a first look, which made it crystal clear that his directorial was in his favourite genre — rowdyism. The film, according to Vijay, deals with cops and rowdies.
But Salaga, says the actor, is more than just a lot of massy fights. “While the film deals with rowdyism, there is also an attempt that these guys are human, like anyone else, and are capable of love. This is why we have a love story as well as part of the story,” says Vijay, who will romance Sanjana Anand of Chemistry of Kariyappa fame in the film.
Vijay adds that although the subject sounds tried and tested, he has ensured that his story offers audiences something fresh. “One thing that will appeal to audiences is our choice of locations for the film. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of interesting spots, which we included along with new ones. In fact, the movie begins with the love story in my character’s adda —the

KR Market

flower bazaar. It is only after this beautiful sequence that the first fight sequence takes place,” says the actor.
Shooting in KR Market and at the Kadlekai Parishe, both of which are always teeming with people, was quite the task. “It was, no doubt, challenging, but we all enjoyed every moment of it. To shoot at KR Market, for instance, we chose timings when there would be very few people and finish our shots. But for the Kadlekai Parishe near Bull Temple, we had to deal with 50,000 visitors daily. So, it was a daunting task. We had permissions in place to shoot there and a 200-member-strong ring for protection. We also took responsibility to ensure untoward incidents would not happen at the carnival. The audience today wants something novel in a film to come to the cinema halls. I’m hoping Salaga does the same. In fact, I’m only breathing Salaga until it releases,” says Vijay, who intends to give audiences a sneak peek of the making of the film on December 18.