Jason Sanjay, son of actor-turned-politician Vijay, is all set to make his directorial debut with Sigma, starring Sundeep Kishan. Ahead of the film’s release, the young filmmaker spoke candidly about his decision to stay behind the camera despite being born into one of Tamil cinema’s biggest film families. He also shared that if Hollywood star Jason Statham ever wanted to collaborate with him, he would cast his father Vijay without a second thought.Speaking to Behindwoods TV, Jason was asked who from Tamil cinema he would choose if Jason Statham watched Sigma and expressed interest in working with him.Without hesitation, Jason replied, “My dad (Vijay). It will prove to be a great collaboration between the two.” He then laughed and added that his answer would probably become meme material on social media.
‘I always wanted to tell stories’
While many expected him to follow Vijay’s path into acting, Jason said filmmaking was what truly fascinated him from a young age.“Since childhood, I had access to film sets. That was my privilege. I had good exposure. I started feeling comfortable there, and visiting sets became normal for me. That’s where my interest began,” he said.He admitted, however, that cinema wasn’t his first dream.“Initially, I wanted to become a pilot. At one point, I also wanted to be a cricketer. It was only during Class 11 and 12 that cinema started attracting me. By the time I was in college, I knew I wanted to study filmmaking,” he shared.
Canada helped shape his filmmaking journey
Jason said his love for storytelling eventually led him to pursue filmmaking in Canada.“Since childhood, I enjoyed narrating stories to my friends. Slowly, I began writing down ideas, and it eventually became a hobby. When I went to Canada to study filmmaking, I realised this was exactly what I wanted to do,” he said.He also credited his coursework with giving him practical experience.“Our professor would send us to advertising agencies, where we worked on commercials for startup companies. Those projects helped us practise our craft and gave me a lot of confidence,” he recalled.
Exposure at TIFF
Jason further revealed that volunteering at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) played a significant role in broadening his understanding of world cinema.“I volunteered at the Toronto Film Festival several times and got to watch all kinds of films. It was incredible exposure. Around that time, I also met Nivin Pauly when Moothon was screened there. It was a wonderful experience,” he said.