24 is a 2016 Indian science fiction thriller film written and directed by Vikram Kumar. Based on the concept of time-travel, the film stars actor Suriya in triple roles, with actresses Samantha and Nithya Menen in lead roles.
The development dates back to 2009, where the film was to feature actors Vikram and Ileana D’Cruz in lead roles. However, in February 2010, the project was dropped due to difference in opinions between director, producer and actor, facing rejection of the refined script. In August 2014, Suriya agreed to produce and act in the film, with principal photography commencing in Mumbai in April 2015, continuing in Nasik, Goregaon and Pune. The second phase of filming was done in Poland by end-September 2015. Filming was completed in Chennai by November 2015.
Produced by 2D Entertainment, the film has cinematography by S. Tirru. The soundtrack and film score are composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Vairamuthu and Madhan Karky. The film along with the dubbed Telugu version having the same title was released on 6 May 2016.
In August 2009, director Vikram Kumar announced that he was set to direct a film titled 24. The film was backed by producer Mohan Natarajan, which would feature actor Vikram in a lead role. Harris Jayaraj was confirmed to score the music and P. C. Sreeram to handle the film cinematography. By late 2009, the filming commenced at AVM Studios, Chennai.Sets that resembled dense forests and caves were replicated.In an interview with The Times of India in Chennai, director Vikram stated: “We have signed Ileana D’Cruz to do 24. It will be her re-launch in Tamil cinema. She has given us bulk dates from February 2010 for the second schedule of the film.” In February 2010, Vikram Kumar officially announced that he had dropped the film. Vikram clarified that he fine-tuned the film script but it was rejected by actor Vikram and the film producer.Further, the other reason cited was that the director had failed to provide the complete script even while production expenses were increasing.Due to difference of opinions, the director voluntarily walked out and stated that he had been making changes in the script and will approach a leading actor in future.
In August 2014, Suriya’s production company 2D Entertainment announced the project through their official Twitter handle. In October 2014, A. R. Rahman was announced as the film soundtrack and score composer. Actor Suriya was confirmed as the male lead.The main plot of the revived project was the same as the one narrated to actor Vikram but over the years, Vikram Kumar changed the screenplay with new dimensions in narration.In an interview Suriya pointed the core of the plot stating: “The one thing that humans cannot control is “time” but what if one has the power to do so. This is the core theme of the film 24.”
