Looking through a hazy car window, a dreamy young man with an enchanting grin enters Ooty. There are no slow-motion track shots or standard hero introduction cues. He comes like a breeze, beams at his lady love, dances effortlessly, and leaves without much trace. 20 years on, Sachein is now returning to the big screen, again in that long-sleeved maroon sweater and beige cargo pants, and this time, he promises to make his presence felt. Amidst all the films breathing fresh air in this re-release season<\/a>, Tamil superstar Vijay\u2019s 41st film is the most in-demand entrant. Sachein<\/i>, directed by John Mahendran, is being officially re-released this week.<\/p>\n Salem-based auditor and ardent Vijay fan Vicky Vijay doesn\u2019t skip a beat while talking about his plans to catch the re-release. \u201cI still remember the day Sachein<\/i> was released. My father is a die-hard superstar fan, and he wanted to watch Chandramukhi<\/i>,\u201d \u2014 Rajinikanth\u2019s film, as well as Kamal Haasan\u2019s Mumbai Xpress<\/i>, released along with Sachein<\/i>; we\u2019ll get to that in a bit \u2014 \u201cHowever, I was too adamant that we watch the Vijay film. It was a jolly aana Vijay padam<\/i>, especially thanks to his comedy scenes with Vadivelu, a duo that was popular from Friends<\/i>,\u201d says Vicky.<\/p>\n Producer Kalaipuli S Thanu of V Creations, who is re-releasing the 4K restoration, was more nervous than the fans 20 years ago. \u201cWe were extremely tense. So we wanted music composer Devi Sri Prasad to remix a Telugu song of his in Sachein<\/i>, and we had even bought the rights. I don\u2019t know what really happened, but it caused quite a stir. Newspapers read \u2018Sachein <\/i>release halted,\u2019 and I was shocked. The court said we hadn\u2019t obtained the rights properly.\u201d Fascinatingly, Thanu explains, DSP composed a whole new tune that matches the song\u2019s lip sync. That ended up being \u2018Dai Dai Dai Kattikkoda,\u2019 featuring Vijay and Bipasha Basu, which was added to the film a week after the release.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not all. Theatre owners were sceptical of the release and hesitated to buy the film. \u201cI now fondly remember financiers Sathya Ramamurthy and his son Sathya Ramesh. Without even receiving their due amount, they gave clearance to the prints from the lab, and only after we brought the prints to our office did the theatre owners pay the amount,\u201d reminisces Thanu.<\/p>\n \n Kalaipuli S Thanu <\/div>\n But what prompted Thanu to re-release Sachein<\/i> after 20 years, especially in a 4K remastered version with a 7.1 Dolby mix? Thanu, who previously re-released Aalavandhan<\/i><\/a> and is working towards remastering Khakha Khakha <\/i>and Kandukondain Kandukondain<\/i>, says that he has been witnessing the demand for Sachein<\/i>\u2019s re-release over the years. \u201cMany theatre owners have repeatedly requested me to rerelease Sachein<\/i>, stating that there\u2019s immense demand among fans. Moreover, my anti-piracy team has been continuously taking down pirated copies of Sachein<\/i>; even last night, at 3 AM, an HD-quality print was uploaded, and we had to take it down. And by the time we take down a print, it\u2019s getting over 10,000 views. That\u2019s just amazing,\u201d says Thanu, mentioning that over 9,500 tickets have been pre-booked for the Friday shows of Sachein<\/i> in Rohini Silver Screens, Chennai. \u201cI am shocked because even new films struggle to get such pre-release bookings.\u201d The release isn\u2019t restricted to Tamil Nadu. Thanu says the film is set to play at over 40 screens in France, 80 in the US, and over 300 theatres in Malaysia.<\/p>\n To some filmgoers, like 28-year-old Chennai-based engineer Madhesh R, this demand seems mindboggling. \u201cUntil a few years ago, I wasn\u2019t aware that Sachein<\/i> had such a fan following. I have seen fans calling it an underrated Vijay film, but the craze we are seeing online is surprising,\u201d says Madhesh, who is eager to catch the re-release to decipher this phenomenon. But with Madhesh, we wonder if an average filmgoer would have ever seen Sachein<\/i> as a film that could be revisited on the big screen.<\/p>\n \u201cThe demand is such because films like Sachein<\/i> and Ghilli<\/i><\/a> are films loved even by those who dislike Vijay\u2019s other films,\u201d explains Vicky. \u201cYou would find many who say, \u2018I don\u2019t usually watch Vijay\u2019s films, but I liked Ghilli<\/i>, Sachein<\/i>, and Thuppakki<\/i>.\u2019 Even Vaseegara<\/i>, which didn\u2019t run well, would fall under this. I have never seen Sachein<\/i> as a strictly fan-favourite film, but one for all moviegoers,\u201d he believes.<\/p>\n Thanu concurs. \u201cAll those who were five or ten years old when the film was originally released would now get a chance to celebrate it on the big screen. I foresee a lot of college-goers and young women thronging the theatres over this weekend,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \n Vadivelu and Vijay in a still from \u2018Sachein\u2019 <\/div>\n As Madhesh believes, the demand for the film must ride a lot on its comedy. Veteran comedian Vadivelu as Ayyasaamy was hilarious in the film, delivering many iconic lines like \u201cNangooram madhiri nachunu irundhucha?\u201d<\/i> and \u201cFirst\u2019u juice\u2019u.<\/i>\u201d It would be safe to say that Vadivelu takes a lot of credit for the success of Sachein<\/i>, during the release and potentially during the re-release. But again, given the popularity of the comedy tracks on television and YouTube, calling it the sole reason for the demand for re-release seems vague. Moreover, Thanu subtly hints that he had to remove a few bits from the film to make the content more amenable to modern audiences and \u201cnot hurt any sentiments.\u201d It is safe to assume that he is referring to the many double entendres in the film.<\/p>\n In many ways, Sachein<\/i> defies everything we assume is requisite for a film to stand the test of time, or to be revisited by the masses on the big screen. First and foremost, it is neither a commercial actioner like, say, Thirupaachi<\/i>, nor does it have the re-watch value of a Ghilli<\/i>. Sure, it has five dance numbers and Vijay delivers his fair share of fan service \u2014 references to Youth<\/i>, Kushi <\/i>(that iduppu <\/i>joke!) and Thirupaachi <\/i>(if you watched Good Bad Ugly<\/i><\/a> and thought such references were a new thing, even Genelia gets a callback to Boys<\/i>, and Santhanam to his debut Manmathan<\/i>). Vijay gets two passable fight sequences and even breaks the fourth wall many times. But it is safe to say that Sachein<\/i> isn\u2019t loved for any of that.<\/p>\n \u201cI still wonder how Vijay got the idea to do such a film after becoming a full-on action hero, after films like Thirumalai, Ghilli, Madhurey <\/i>and Thirupaachi<\/i>; his very next film after Sachein<\/i> was an actioner like Sivakasi<\/i>. So he need not have done it. In fact, after this film, he returned to that genre only in 2011 with Kaavalan<\/i>,\u201d ponders Vicky.<\/p>\n Thanu sheds more light: \u201cI wanted Vijay thambi to do a film like Kushi<\/i> because he had just done a series of action films. When John narrated the script to me, I really liked it. Then I told thambi that it would be great to do a light-hearted subject like Kushi<\/i>. He was immediately on board with the idea. I sent John to narrate the story to him, and he immediately called and said that he found the pitch as entertaining as Kushi<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n Even as a romance drama, Sachin, which came with the tagline \u2018miracle of love,\u2019 isn\u2019t a Kushi<\/i>. The romance track, between Sachein and Genelia D\u2019Souza\u2019s Shalini, isn\u2019t as moving as a Priyamaanavale <\/i>or a Shahjahan<\/i>. It is one of those breezy, laid-back flicks, with nothing drastically dramatic transpiring in its 150-minute runtime. \u201cIt was all pre-planned; we didn\u2019t want it to be as emotional as a Kushi<\/i>,\u201d says Thanu.<\/p>\n \n A still from \u2018Sachein\u2019 <\/div>\n To his credit, John must have really nailed the narration. Sachein<\/i> was loosely inspired by the director\u2019s Telugu film Neetho<\/i>, which unfortunately turned out to be unsuccessful. Thankfully, Sachein<\/i> seemed wonderfully slicker and sharper than Neetho<\/i>. The film, fascinatingly, was centred on the central character and not on the plot. In fact, it wouldn\u2019t be too far-fetched to say that the film is one of those rare attempts at character study in Vijay\u2019s filmography. The film tells the story of a chirpy, exuberant college boy with a love for all and a demeanour as tender as the frames he\u2019s painted on. We don\u2019t know much about his past for a major chunk of the film, except that he occasionally drops hints that he misses his mother.<\/p>\n From the lens of 2025, Sachein may not be a male role model of romance; much of the film follows how he uses a kind of reverse psychology to woo Shalini, but this was a time when heroes were busy chasing after heroines with their thorny hearts. Sachein believed in falling in love at first sight and made an admirable, if a tad too romanticised, case for it.\u00a0John\u2019s story, at the heart of it, asks a question men and women have spent eternity wondering: Is love something that just happens, or is it something that blooms only when you understand someone else? \u201cAm I a motorbike? To check the petrol consumption and resale value before buying it? It\u2019s love; it just happens. I won\u2019t lie that you are my dream girl. You have your share of flaws, but I still like you,\u201d says Sachein at a pivotal moment, calling his tendency to accept people with their flaws a \u2018manufacturing defect.\u2019 To the lovelorn boys of the 2000s, Sachein<\/i> taught how to gracefully accept rejection and to search for what he calls the purest of joys. \u201cAny happiness that doesn\u2019t harm someone else isn\u2019t wrong. But even if a small smile hurts someone else, it\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Fascinatingly, Sachein<\/i> is also quite an atypical college romance. Instead of the usual campus rom-coms, set inside corridors and classrooms, it told of a romance that any ordinary boy sitting in a college canteen would have wished for himself, of a fantasy imagined in a world outside those classroom windows. \u201cThat\u2019s how you stand out, isn\u2019t it? Showing the classrooms would have been ordinary,\u201d says Thanu.<\/p>\n There are other highlights, like that fog that permeates almost every frame of the film, sometimes even indoors. Thanu credits the late cinematographer Jeeva with that creative call. \u201cHe wanted to capture the climate of the hills, and even John, while narrating the story, said that he wished to transport the audience to a chilly hill station.\u201d<\/p>\n \n A still from \u2018Sachein\u2019 <\/div>\n In one of the sweet moments of Sachein<\/i>, a young girl calls Vijay\u2019s smile cute, to which he blushes sheepishly. Again, this was a time when audiences didn\u2019t term such indulgences as cringeworthy. Every minute of the 150-minute Sachein<\/i> might feature Vijay with that sparkling grin, images of which continue to be on the display pictures of many Vijay fans. This is easily one of the most charming Vijays we have seen on screen. \u201cEven everyone at Vijay thambi\u2019s house would agree with that. They all love this film,\u201d says Thanu. Like Shalini would tell Bipasha\u2019s Manju in a later moment, \u201chis smile is definitely a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n The film is equally remembered for its trend-setting costume design. Sachein<\/i>, along with Suriya\u2019s Ghajini<\/i>, turned long-sleeved sweaters into a fashion statement among Tamil youth. \u201cI started wearing those full-zipped sweaters only after Sachein<\/i>. Similarly, many started wearing a shirt inside a sweater; of course, wearing a shirt within a shirt has been the trend since Rajinikanth, but even now, when we go to a hill station, we instinctively choose Sachein<\/i> as our dress code.\u201d From the top of his mind, Vicky recalls Vijay\u2019s white sweater from \u2018Va Va Va En Thalaiva,\u2019 reminiscing about how he bought pink cargo pants after the star\u2019s costume in the \u2018Vaadi Vaadi\u2019 song.<\/p>\n \n A still from \u2018Sachein\u2019 <\/div>\n While recollecting the days ahead of the release, Vicky mentions how it was the popularity of \u2018Va Va Va En Thalaiva\u2019 and \u2018Vaadi Vaadi\u2019 on the radio that generated much of the film\u2019s hype. \u201cThose days, we knew about a film\u2019s release only through posters, television commercials or songs. A major attraction was the labels we got along with Sunfeast biscuits.\u201d Thanu, known for his marketing strategies, had partnered with ITC Limited, which owns Sunfeast. \u201cWe even had a competition in our neighbourhood on who collected all the freebie stickers we got with the biscuit,\u201d adds Vicky.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t just random trivia. Sachein<\/i> featured multiple, not-so-subtle product placements, and to a generation of filmgoers, the snack almost became synonymous with Vijay\u2019s image on the labels. \u201cFor Kandukondain Kandukondain<\/i>, we had partnered with Fair and Lovely. So the success of that campaign led to such a partnership for Sachein<\/i>,\u201d says Thanu, adding that the remastered version may not feature these tie-ins.<\/p>\n Remember we mentioned how Sachein<\/i> clashed with Rajinikanth\u2019s Chandramukhi<\/i> and Kamal Haasan\u2019s Mumbai Xpress<\/i>? Even today, Sachein<\/i> is widely remembered as that Vijay film that ran for over 200 days despite taking on a goliath in Chandramukhi<\/i>. For Thanu, it was out of the question to not release on that date; he stresses how they had announced the release date even before the film went on floors. \u201cWe need to make good on our promise and release the film on the date we had announced. That\u2019s where a banner\u2019s pride rests. So our focus was on getting it ready to release in April.\u201d He reminds coolly that he has always been a daring producer. \u201cRemember when Thalapathy<\/i> and Guna<\/i> were released on the same day? My film, Vanna Vanna Pookkal<\/i>, directed by Balu Mahendra, too released on the same day and ran for 129 days,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n Instead of fighting shy of competition, Thanu doubled down on publicity. \u201cAmongst the three films that were released that day, only ours had over 200 banners across the city. If you had visited Sangam Cinemas, you would have seen a huge banner of Sachein<\/i>. I tried different poster sizes so our film would stand out amongst the other two. Vijay thambi used to observe all that, and sometimes he would text me saying, \u2018Sir, this is a bit too much.\u2019(laughs)\u201d<\/p>\n Vijay might have bid goodbye to cinema \u2014 the actor-turned-politician announced that his upcoming film would be his last<\/a> \u2014 but the reception he is expected to get this Friday says that somewhere, in the hearts of fans, lovelorn youth and men who like to live in the comfort of their childhood memories, Sachein lives on. Wearing a dark red sweater and beige pants, he is still riding his cycle on the chilly slopes of Ooty, still whispering \u2018Main kya karoon?\u2019 to Shalini.<\/p>\n
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\n Shivaraj Vedhan\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/entertainment\/movies\/qyuvxm\/article67837726.ece\/alternates\/SQUARE_80\/Vaaranam%20Aayiram%20re-release.png\")
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Vadivelu](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/entertainment\/movies\/7bn6hf\/article69460846.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/WhatsApp%20Image%202025-04-17%20at%2009.14.30_78b45069.jpg\" "\\"Vadivelu")
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\n Special Arrangement\n <\/p>\nSachein, a \u2018mystery\u2019 of love<\/h4>\n
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\n Special Arrangement\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/entertainment\/movies\/iylp16\/article69460448.ece\/alternates\/SQUARE_80\/VaadiVaasa.jpg\")
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\n Special Arrangement\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/dgy9br\/article66247274.ece\/alternates\/SQUARE_80\/HP71385.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA charming Vijay and his trend-setting costume design:<\/h4>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/entertainment\/movies\/c9r5gf\/article69460862.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/sacheinn.png\" "\\"A")
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\n Kalaipuli S Thanu\/YouTube\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A memorable partnership with Sunfeast, and a clash with the titans<\/h4>\n
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