IF you happen to be a fan of the famous south Indian actor, Vijay, who is fondly known among his followers as ‘Thalapathy’, then it’s time you visit the Penang City Park to check out a graffiti of the celebrity himself based on his latest action thriller – Beast.
While Vijay headlines in many parts of the world especially in India today; for Penangites, the man who stole the show here is none other than our local artist, Mohd Azmi Hussin.
Mohd Azmi was the brainchild behind the creation of the extremely striking and stunning graffiti, which is part of the many other graffiti works at the park.
They are all drawn on walls dedicated specifically for such a purpose.
During an exclusive interview session today, Mohd Azmi said that YouTuber Nagenthiran Naidu from Kuala Lumpur had posted on his social media sites, calling for ideas to promote the movie here in Malaysia.
Nagenthiran is a die-hard Vijay fan, who owns and operates a YouTube channel, called Filmy React.
“That was when I thought, okay, as a Vijay fan myself, why not I approach him and suggest painting graffiti.
“He was excited and happy when I told him about my idea, and he started looking for sponsors to further elevate this initiative.
“We dedicate this effort to Thalapathy fans, and of course, a tribute to the actor himself,” Mohd Azmi said.
Fashion designer G. Lobhini, who owns and operates a company called ‘The Sambar Incident’, agreed to participate in this initiative.
Famously known for designing T-shirts and other cool accessories for new Tamil movies, she did not miss the chance of designing some nice and eye-catching ones for Beast.
She gave out free Beast T-shirts to Mohd Azmi and Nagenthiran and sponsored Nagenthiran’s travel expenses to Penang to film the graffiti.
In her Facebook post recently, Lobhini said when she was approached by Nagenthiran, she was asked to choose between Penang and Kuala Lumpur to carry out this initiative.
“Although my shop is based in Kuala Lumpur, Penang is where home is. Without thinking, I chose Penang.
“It is where I grew up and it has made me what I am today,” she said.
Separately, Mohd Azmi said it took him six hours to complete the graffiti.
“I used a normal paintbrush and Nippon Weatherbond products. This art can last for at least four to five years.
“The artwork was completed during the month of Ramadan. There was no shelter and I worked under the hot sun. Nevertheless, it was all worth it,” Mohd Azmi spoke about his challenges.
Mohd Azmi also said that while he was working, many visitors at the park surrounded him and were awestruck by his work.
When asked about the graffiti’s reception on social media, he said Nagenthiran’s promotional video garnered some 100,000 views on Tik Tok.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix courtesy of Mohd Azmi Hussin