Actor Sundeep Kishan, who plays the lead in Sigma, the directorial debut of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s son Jason Sanjay, has publicly thanked Vijay for being the film’s identity and biggest inspiration, while Jason Sanjay recounted who he called the first time he signed to direct his debut film.

Speaking at a pre-launch event for Sigma, which releases on October 2, Sundeep acknowledged the weight of Vijay’s name on the project. “Even though we have worked honestly for this film, our CM Vijay is the identity of Sigma and our biggest inspiration as well,” he said. “Thanks to him and his fans. Me, Sanjay and Lyca are going to enjoy from your work’s goodwill.”

He then quoted a line he said he learned from Vijay: “Kill them with your smile. Bury them with your success.”

Jason Sanjay, speaking at the same event, revealed who he called first after signing on to direct the film, “I called up my mom to share the news.”

Thanking his family for always supporting him, he opened up about his experience directing his first feature film. “On the first day, first shot, I was very nervous. But after one take, I became occupied,” Jason said. He framed the experience as a lesson for others in his position. “No matter how nervous you are, you’ll enjoy your work. That’s what I want to say to aspiring first-time directors,” he said.

Wrapping up the film, however, brought a more complicated set of emotions. The satisfaction of completing his debut feature was mixed with the sadness of a daily routine coming to an end. “On the wrap day, there was a lot of satisfaction, but there was also some sadness because I wouldn’t meet my team every day,” he said.

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Sundeep Kishan on acting in Tamil cinema

Sundeep, who was born and raised in Chennai to a Telugu family, then shared a story from his early career that explains why an actor who made his name in Telugu cinema gradually shifted focus to Tamil.

“I was born and brought up here. The first chance I got to act in Telugu, I made a good name for myself within four to five years, and everyone started knowing me,” he said. The Telugu career came first, with Sundeep debuting in 2008 and building a steady presence in Tollywood through the early 2010s. But a chance encounter on a Chennai set changed his thinking.

“While we were shooting a Telugu film in Chennai, a grandmother asked me, ‘You’re acting in Telugu films back to back. I don’t like that. Please make a film that I can watch too,'” Sundeep recalled. “So, after that, I made Maanagaram, Raayan, Captain Miller, and now Sigma,” Sundeep said, listing the Tamil films that followed.

About Sigma

Sigma is directed by Jason Sanjay, who is making his filmmaking debut. The film, produced by Subaskaran under Lyca Productions, stars Sundeep alongside Faria Abdullah, Raju Sundaram, and Sampath Raj The music is composed by S. Thaman, cinematography is by Krishnan Vasant, editing by Praveen KL and VFX by Hariharasuthan.

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The film was originally scheduled for July 31, but was postponed to avoid clashing with Vijay’s final film Jananayagan, directed by H. Vinoth. It was later rescheduled to October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti.