Arnold missed veshti; liked idli, dosai and pongal

 Arnold Schwarzenegger who was in the city for the audio launch of Shankar's I -which has Vikram, Amy Jackson in the lead and songs composed by AR Rahman -ensured that he didn't miss out on the taste of Chennai too. We hear that during his stay at a star hotel here, the Hollywood superstar had idli, dosai and pongal for breakfast -after which he worked out for six hours at the gym! He was also so fascinated by the south Indian culture that he wanted to wear a veshti during his meeting with the Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Sources say that arrangements were also made according to Arnold's wish. However, since he had to rush to make it in time for the appointment to meet the CM, he gave wearing the veshti a miss.

When we contacted the producer of I, Aascar Ravichandran, he confirmed the news saying, "Yes, Arnold liked idli, dosai and pongal a lot. When continental cuisines were provided to him, he insisted on having only our traditional breakfast. He also wanted to meet CM in veshti, but due to time constraints, he couldn't wear it."

Ask him about Arnold's epic six hour workout schedule and Aascar says, "He landed at 3.30 am, had breakfast at 5.30 am and then he headed to gym for the workout. He worked out for six hours. Our team was actually stunned by his dedication to his fitness regime."

Arnold was an inspiration for Vikram's character

At the glitzy audio launch of I, which had Arnold Schwarzenegger as the special guest, director Shankar finally opened up a bit about the film. Talking about the film, Shankar said, "This film is not like the Wolfman or Hulk. It is not about the Olympics or on sports as some people have written. It is not a sci-fi or a film with a social message or a fun film. It is an entirely a new genre for me — romantic thriller. The character that Vikram plays in the film is called Lingeswaran. Since Vikram is playing a bodybuilder, Arnold was an inspiration. We have even given the character a curl like the one that Arnold had during his bodybuilder days."

Almost 25 per cent of the film has been shot in China, he revealed. "The conditions there were extreme but we managed to shoot a song and some stunt sequences there. Action choreographer Peter Ming got actual cycling champions in China for a cycle fight scene that we shot there."

Vikram, who had to lose over 25kg to play the hunchback character in the film, remarked that fasting for a role is not a bother, if the role is interesting enough. The actor added that everyone around him started feeling a little awkward when he was losing weight. "They started asking me why I was even trying out such drastic things. So, I avoided going out to any event. I did not even meet my fans during this time and I thank them for standing by me," he said.

Vikram to do a quickie?

That Vikram and Bala might be joining hands again is what we'd told you earlier.Word now has it that the two might go in for a quickie, given that the actor has time on his hands, with Shankar instructing him to lose weight before the last schedule shoot for 'I' commences.

Sources say that the Paradesi filmmaker has been holding talks with Vikram but things are yet to be finalized. A source close to Vikram says, "Bala and Vikram have been discussing for a while about teaming up for a project. If it gets finalized, Vikram might work on this film in between the shoots of Shankar's film."

The source adds, "Vikram has to take a month-long break between each schedule of 'I'. If he commits to do a film with Bala, he will shoot a quick schedule for a month and will continue the rest of the shoot after the completion of 'I' in November. As he is getting a lot of time between his shoot schedules of Shankar's film, Vikram is mulling over the possibility of doing a new project during the breaks between his shoot schedules."

With their previous filmi outings in Sethu and Pithamagan, both of which did well at the BO, the duo is considered a hit combination in K-town. A source close to director Bala says, "Yes, it's true that Bala wants to cast Vikram in his next. Discussions are on currently."

We hear that if the project takes off, Vikram and Bala will be heading to Rameswaram for its first schedule.

Vikram - Bala ready for a hat-trick?

Director Bala is set to begin work on his next project after 'Paradesi'. While the earlier buzz was that Adharvaa who starred in 'Paradesi' has been signed for the this film, the latest is that Chiyaan Vikram has been roped in to play the lead role. Bala has retained the technical team of 'Paradesi' for this film as well comprising of cinematographer Chezhiyan and music composer G V Prakash.

After Sethu and Pithamagan, this will mark the third time that Bala and Vikram are teaming up. Bala is known for having multi stars in his film and gives equal importance to all the character in the film. An official announcement on the cast and crew is expected to confirm the buzz doing the rounds.

Vikram is busy completing his Shankar's 'I' while Adharvaa would be looking forward to work with Bala once again and alongside Vikram.