Film took over three years to reach theatres, with Jason citing many hurdles and struggles

Chennai, Oct 3: Jason Sanjay, son of actor-turned-politician and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, said on Friday that a character name in his directorial debut, 'Sigma', carries no hidden meaning.

One of the film's characters is named Manik Baashha, a nod to the role played by Superstar Rajinikanth in 'Baashha'. Speaking to reporters after the premiere, Jason said the name had no subtext. "We didn't think about it that deeply. Because that character is a fan of 'Baashha', we randomly gave that name. And we did it thinking that if anyone notices, there would be a bit of humour in it. Other than that, we didn't think much about it," he said.

The release of 'Sigma', which took over three years to reach theatres despite the backing of Kollywood production house Lyca Productions, is a deeply personal milestone for Jason. His London-based mother, Sangkeetha Sornalingam, and sister, Divya Saasha, attended the first-day-first-show and supported his debut, while his father and grandparents stayed away from the media attention around the premiere.

Jason said his grandfather, veteran director S A Chandrasekhar, gave him no direct suggestions during the making of the film, but he had still learnt a key lesson from his legacy. "I didn't ask for my grandfather's suggestions after starting this film. But back in his time, as a director, he achieved two or three releases a year. SAC sir is a very producer-friendly, efficient director who makes films without dragging out costs anywhere. That is a thing we can all learn from," he said.

Though he is the third generation of his family in cinema, Jason acknowledged that his path to the director's chair was neither short nor easy. "Actually, Lyca trusted me and gave me the opportunity. We started the project in 2023. So, it has been almost three-and-a-half years now. In that three-plus-year process, as I believe everyone knows, there were a lot of hurdles and a lot of struggles," he said.

Industry sources said the film faced major scheduling conflicts and release delays, mainly because of a possible box-office clash with his father. 'Sigma' was initially expected to release on July 31, the same date as 'Jana Nayagan', Vijay's much-awaited final film. To avoid the clash, Lyca Productions postponed 'Sigma' so that audiences could first celebrate Vijay's farewell film, the sources said.

The interaction also shed light on Jason's creative choices, shaped partly by his education. Having studied filmmaking in the US, where he often shot short films with skeletal crews and handled several departments himself, he said the experience prepared him to be the "captain of the ship" on a large-scale Tamil production.

Asked about the film's depiction of drugs, particularly a scene in which a wealthy character grows a marijuana plant, Jason rejected suggestions that it glorifies substance abuse. He said the detail was meant only as a behavioural trait reflecting the character's lifestyle. He added that the film shows the serious problems the characters face because of the drug trade, a theme underscored by a philosophical fusion remix composed by S S Thaman. He also clarified that the elaborate gambling clubs in the film were entirely fictional and that he did not know whether such places exist locally.

While 'Sigma' marks his debut as a director and the start of his effort to build an identity of his own in Tamil cinema, Jason has not ruled out acting. "I can't say I don't have an interest in acting... let's see; it's definitely not like I will only do direction and nothing else. If an opportunity comes, I will definitely do it," he said.

'Sigma' stars Sundeep Kishan, with Faria Abdullah, Raju Sundaram, Anbu Thasan, Yog Japee, Sampath Raj, Kiran Konda and Magalakshmi Sudharsanan in supporting roles.