“Kalaiarasan was the first choice to play the lead”, says Sakthivel Perumalsamy

Sakthivel Perumalsamy, the newcomer director, is in the process of deciding the release date of his first film, Urumeen. Sakthivel had spent four years on the editing table, before he came to try his hand in direction and he accepts that filmmaking is not an easy task. Bobby Simhaa will be seen playing the lead role in the project.

The director had disclosed that Bobby Simha, who is mainly known for his negative roles, was not his first choice for the lead role. The first choice was Kalaiarasan. Throwing light on this issue, he said, “Bobby and I have been friends for a long time and when I broached the idea, he agreed to do it. Not many know that Kalaiarasan (who plays a crucial role in the film) was the first choice to play the lead. We finished the shoot in 60 days. The film is in its post-production stage and we are planning to release it in July”.

Talking about the project and his struggles, director said, “In fact, I had the script of a period film in hand, but couldn't work on it due to budget constraints. That's when I decided to make Urumeen first. The success of films like Madras and Jigarthanda was a major shot in the arm. Soon, things fell in place. But it was not easy as I didn't have any contacts in the industry. I used to spend a lot of time with production managers and financiers to learn about filmmaking”.