Enemy preview: All you need to know about Vishal-Arya's much-hyped action thriller

Anand Shankar, who shot to fame with his debut film, Arima Nambi, had pulled off a casting coup in his fourth directorial project. Vishal and Arya were roped in for the action flick which raised the expectations surrounding the project. Though both the stars had teamed up a decade ago for Bala's Avan Ivan, the news of the duo, known for their tryst with fitness and common love for adventure, joining hands for an action thriller made movie buffs excited like never before. 

Though both of them were expected to do another film under Bala's direction for his dream project, Kutra Parambarai, a few years ago, the project never materialized. Anand's project was titled Enemy a month after the film went on floors last year after the Tamil Nadu state government allowed shooting of movies post the first lockdown. It was later revealed that Vishal and Arya will be playing the protagonist and antagonist respectively in the film.

What's the film's story all about?

The movie's plot revolves around two friends who turn into enemies. What happens when they decided to take on each other with an intention to destroy the other completely forms the rest of the story. Though the makers are tight-lipped about the backdrop against which the film is set, it is billed as a cat-and-mouse game between the characters played by Vishal and Arya. The dialogue Prakash Raj says towards the end of the film's teaser sums up its theme. Ulagathiliye abathana edhiri yaar theriyuma... unnai pathi ellame therinja unnoda nanban dhaan (The most dangerous enemy in the world is the friend who knows everything about you).

What makes Enemy one of the most-awaited Tamil movies of the year?

Vishal's announcement that the project has been titled Enemy and that he is all set to lock horns with his off-screen BFF Arya on screen piqued the curiosity of movie buffs. He tweeted, "It's final. My best friend @arya_offl is now my "ENEMY". We have no choice, except to fight it out in a battle of epic proportion." The team later roped in Prakash Raj for a pivotal role. Mirnalini Ravi, who debuted with Thiagarajan Kumararaja's acclaimed film Super Deluxe, came on board as the heroine. 

The makers then announced the inclusion of actress-singer Mamta Mohandas, too, in the project. Mamta, who is making a comeback of sorts in Kollywood after almost a decade, will be seen paired opposite Arya in Enemy. Thambi Ramaiah and Karunakaran will also play important roles in the movie. Musicians Sam CS and Thaman, who are in terrific form with their projects in Tamil and Telugu respectively, were brought on board to compose background score and songs for the movie.      

Why is the movie one of the top things on the bucket list of action lovers?

The director had mentioned a few times during the film's making that its USP will be high-octane action sequences choreographed by Ravi Verma. The Dubai schedule of the project, which has cinematography by RD Rajasekar, was in the news earlier this year when a still of Vishal from the shooting location went viral. The picture was shot during a daredevil sequence, involving the actor jumping from a 50-ft building. 

Another picture from the location also did the rounds on social media when a fan of his requested a picture with him. The one-and-a-half minute teaser of the film which was released in July promises loads of action in the offing - with blazing guns, gripping chasing sequences, Vishal's ease in action scenes and Arya's menacing acts as a devilish villain - the movie seems to have everything hardcore action lovers look for.   

When and where to watch Enemy?

Even when an uncertainty prevailed with regard to opening of theatres in Tamil Nadu, there were speculation on the film likely to hit the screens in September. The makers recently announced that the action movie will release in theatres in Tamil and Telugu on October 14, on the occasion of Dussehra. It's been a while since a full-fledged action flick has released in Tamil, and film buffs hope the movie will be worth the wait. 

Vishal had a theatrical release, Chakra, earlier this year, while two projects of Arya's, Teddy and Sarpatta Parambarai, which released in 2021, skipped theatres. The former was premiered on Disney+ Hotstar, and the latter on Amazon Prime Video. Going by the speculation, Arya's Aranmanai 3 may also hit the screens around the same time.