I

Storyline

I (2015) tells the tale of Lingesan, a humble bodybuilder who dreams of becoming Mr. India. His life changes when he becomes a model and falls in love with Diya, a successful model. Just as his dreams come true, betrayal strikes—rival models, jealous colleagues, and a corrupted pharmaceutical mogul conspire against him, injecting him with a virus that deforms him physically. Disfigured and discarded, Lingesan becomes a vengeful hunchback, setting out to destroy those who ruined his life. Through a series of flashbacks, the film reveals the conspiracy behind his fall and his journey to redemption and revenge.

Tags

Tagline

Beauty is skin deep, revenge goes deeper.

Trivia

• The film took over 3 years to complete due to elaborate VFX, prosthetic work, and makeup procedures.
• Weta Workshop, famous for The Lord of the Rings, contributed to the film’s prosthetic makeup design.
• Vikram reportedly spent hours daily in makeup and lost significant weight for different portions of the film.
• The character “Lingesan” was inspired by real-life bodybuilders from Tamil Nadu.

Goofs

• In several scenes, Lingesan’s injuries change inconsistently, especially during flashbacks.
• A few continuity errors occur between Lingesan's physical states in the disfigured version and earlier sequences.
• In a scene involving a fire stunt, the lighting changes abruptly, suggesting a potential reshoot or edit issue.

Quotes

• "I am not beautiful anymore, but my love is still pure." – Vikram as the hunchbacked Lingesan
• "You turned me into a monster, now face the monster you created."

Crazy_credits

• At the end of the film, a behind-the-scenes montage shows Vikram’s transformation and the intense makeup process.
• The credit roll includes special thanks to international makeup artists and studios involved in the VFX.

Connections

• I shares thematic elements with Shankar’s earlier films like Anniyan, where transformation and psychological trauma play key roles.
• Influences from Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera can be seen in the love-revenge-disfigurement storyline.

Soundtracks

• Music composed by A. R. Rahman. Key songs include:
• "Mersalayitten" – A catchy romantic track featuring Lingesan’s rise in modeling.
• "Ennodu Nee Irundhaal" – A haunting love ballad, symbolic of sacrifice and pain.
• "Aila Aila" – A stylized depiction of the fashion world.
• "Pookkalae Sattru Oyivedungal" – A romantic number set against stunning visuals.