THIS week’s big Bollywood release Vikram Vedha is a remake of a smash hit 2017 Tamil film of the same name.
The story revolves around a tough police officer trying to kill a feared gangster, who voluntarily surrenders and tells him three stories which may change his perceptions of good and evil.
To get you ready for the hotly anticipated neo noir action thriller starring Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan, Eastern Eye decided to give you 20 interesting facts about the film, and the original headlined by R Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi.
1. The original Vikram Vedha was written and directed by husband-wife duo Pushkar–Gayathri. They have also directed the remake, with their screenplay adapted into Hindi by acclaimed filmmaker Neeraj Pandey.
2. Pushkar–Gayathri drew inspiration from Indian folktale Baital Pachisi for the story and characters in the film.
3. Various settings, including business, journalism and politics were considered, before the writing directing duo settled on a gangster theme.
4. More than 3,000 (blank) bullets were fired on the sets of the 2017 film from authentic guns. This included a signature style for Vikram, who shoots twice for each kill.
5. In a deliberate move to add authenticity to their first interaction in the film, leads stars of the film Madhavan and Sethupathi met for the first time on the sets of Vikram Vedha.
6. Interestingly, when the two characters on opposite sides of the law are introduced for the first time, the police officer Vikram is wearing a white shirt to portray good, while the gangster Vedha wears black to portray bad. By the end, both wear grey to show their respective journey towards a grey zone between good and evil. This has been repeated in the remake.
7. Madhavan shed 11 kilos to play the role. He said eating the right food and being a vegan helped him lose the weight.
8. The role played by Varalaxmi Sarathkumar in the 2017 version was altered and re-written for her after she was cast in the film.
9. Shraddha Srinath was cast after her performance in U-Turn. Acclaimed actress Radhika Apte is playing her role in the remake. Kathir was cast in the original because the directors were impressed by his performance in Tamil thriller Kirumi (2015).
The Hindi remake poster
10. The entire 2017 film was completed in 53 days.
11. The ambiguous ending of the film led to the possibility of a sequel, but it never materialised.
12. The smash-hit original received rave reviews and 19 awards that included multiple honours for the directing duo.
13. Vikram Vedha was the best rated Indian movie of 2017 on IMDB.
14. Tamil comedy Tamizh Padam 2 (2018) parodied various films, including the interrogation scene and theme music of Vikram Vedha.
15. Pushkar–Gayathri were not keen on directing the remake but agreed because it allowed them to put a new spin on the two main characters (but they said that the soul and story of the film would remain the same).
16. Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan were initial choices for the role of the villainous Vedha, before Hrithik Roshan was cast.
Hrithik Roshan in the Hindi remake
17. The remake reportedly has more than 10 times the total budget of the original.
18. The directing duo wanted Madhavan to reprise his role for the Hindi remake, but he was busy on his directorial debut Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022). He is fully supporting the remake and is more excited about seeing Saif Ali Khan than Hrithik Roshan, as he is playing his role.
19. The India-set remake was extensively shot in Abu Dhabi to create a bio-bubble during the pandemic. Part of the set used to resemble Lucknow and Kanpur was originally built for Tiger Zinda Hai (2017).
20.The original 2017 Vikram Vedha is available on streaming sites ZEE5 and Amazon Prime. You can watch a dubbed Hindi version of the Tamil film on Hotstar. The remake is in cinemas now.
The singer jokingly texted Clairo saying, "Let's f**k her up," sparking an online frenzy
Why Charli XCX jokingly declared war on Peppa Pig after one viral comment
Highlights
What started as a playful celebrity game has turned into one of the internet's most unexpected viral moments, with Charli XCX jokingly threatening to "f**k up" Peppa Pig after the beloved cartoon character appeared to dismiss singer Clairo.
The exchange quickly spread across social media, drawing reactions from fans and fellow musicians, while turning an unlikely clash between a pop star and a fictional children's character into a trending talking point.
Peppa Pig's viral remark sparked the joke
The playful exchange began during Peppa Pig's appearance in Pitchfork's Over/Under game, where the animated character rated a selection of music artists.
While expressing admiration for acts including PinkPantheress and The Beatles, Peppa responded to Clairo by saying, "I don't know her," a line widely recognised as a reference to Mariah Carey's famous response when asked about Jennifer Lopez.
The remark, accompanied by a knowing glance at the camera, quickly gained traction online.
Charli XCX rushed to Clairo's defence
After seeing the clip, Charli XCX privately messaged Clairo, writing, "Let's f**k her up," alongside a screenshot of the viral post.
Clairo later shared the exchange on social media, prompting thousands of reactions from fans, many of whom responded with pig and bacon-themed jokes.
PinkPantheress, whom Peppa had praised in the original video, also joined the conversation, posting a message supporting Clairo.
As the exchange continued, Clairo responded to the growing attention with humour, replying to posts before eventually telling followers, "ok that's enoughhhhh lolllllllllll."
Some fans joked that the viral moment was the perfect opportunity for the singer to announce new music, though Clairo replied that she did not have anything ready to share.
Her most recent album, Charm, was released in 2024, with its accompanying tour concluding in 2025.
Charli XCX keeps her focus on new music
While the online joke continued to gather momentum, Charli XCX did not publicly add to the exchange.
Instead, the singer has been focusing on promoting her upcoming album, Music, Fashion, Film, which is scheduled for release on July 24.
Although fans speculated that one of the track titles could be a playful nod to the viral exchange, there has been no indication that the album references the light-hearted social media moment.