I (2015 film)

I is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language romantic body horror film directed and co-written by Shankar, produced and distributed by V. Ravichandran under Aascar Films. The film stars Vikram, Amy Jackson and Suresh Gopi in the lead roles along with Santhanam, Ramkumar Ganesan, Upen Patel, M. Kamaraj and Ojas Rajani in supporting roles. The film, told in nonlinear narrative, tells the story of Lingesan, a bodybuilder-turned-supermodel, who sets out to exact revenge against his enemies after they disfigure him by injecting him with the I virus. Parts of the film were loosely based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast.

The music was composed by A. R. Rahman, while the cinematography and editing were handled by P. C. Sreeram and Anthony. The production design was handled by T. Muthuraj, while the VFX were designed by V. Srinivas Mohan through Rising Sun Pictures. Weta Workshop had worked on the digital and prosthetic make-up and background arts for the film. Principal photography commenced on 15 July 2012. The filming lasted for two years and eight months, during which shooting was done extensively in China. Further schedules were filmed in locations in Chennai, Bangkok, Jodhpur, Kodaikanal, Pollachi, Bangalore and Mysore. The climax was shot in the railway stations of Chengalpattu, Rayagada, Berhampur and Visakhapatnam. The film was released in Telugu and Hindi languages, along with the original version.

I was released on 14 January 2015, coinciding with Pongal festival, and received positive reviews from critics with praise for its direction, cast performances (especially Vikram and Suresh Gopi), cinematography, VFX, production design, action sequences and music. The film was a commercial success, grossing ₹240 crore worldwide, becoming one of the highest grossing Tamil films of all time and Vikram's highest-grossing film until Ponniyin Selvan: I. Vikram won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for his performance in the film.