'Mersal' is unarguably one of the biggest films of the year. To be released as 'Adhirindhi' in Telugu, the Vijay-starrer has already made Rs. 150 Cr by way of its pre-release business.

The Tamil superstar will be seen in three roles in this Atlee-directed movie. As a panchayat head and a doctor, he will be at his desi best. As a magician, he will be seen in a modish look. Atlee enlisted three magicians to train Vijay in pulling off visual illusions. And guess what, the actor almost perfected them and did magic for real!

"Since Atlee and Vijay were keen to make the whole film authentic, three internationally renowned magicians - Gogo Requiem (Macedonia), Dani Belev (Bulgaria) and Raman Sharma (Canada) - were roped in to train Vijay to perform several magic tricks in the film," a source says. Gogo Requiem says, “I had my reservations about teaching someone things that usually take years to perfect. But I was quite astonished when Vijay got everything at one go. He is a very good observer and a quick learner. I wasn't the only one; there were two other guys too, Donney Bennet and Raman Sharma. They were also involved in the process along with 70-80 people from India who were all helping in the making of the movie in Macedonia in the month of May.”

Raman Sharma says, “If Vijay decides to become a magician, he'll be one of the best in the world.”

K Vijayendra Prasad of 'Baahubali' and 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' has penned the story. He has also penned the screenplay in association with Ramana Girivasan. Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha, Nithya Menon and SJ Suryah will be seen in key roles. Vadivelu, Kovai Sarala, Sathyan and Sathyaraj will be seen in other roles.

Music is by AR Rahman. The cinematography is by JK Vishnu. Lyrics are by Vivek. Editing is by Rubens. Action choreography is by Anil Arasu. Dance choreography is by Sobhi.

Sharrath Marar is bringing the film to the Telugu audience on Oct 18.