Following her successful outing in director Mohan Raja's Velaikkaran, Nayanthara has been signed to play the lead heroine in Sivakarthikeyan's next yet-untitled project with director Rajesh, as we reported earlier. The film, which is bankrolled by KE Gnanavel Raja's Studio Green, not only marks Nayanthara's second collaboration with Sivakarthikeyan but her reunion with Rajesh. Nayan starred in Rajesh's super-hit sophomore directorial Boss Engira Bhaskaran where she played Arya's romantic interest.
We welcome you on board to this project on behalf of the whole team mam. #NayantharaJoinsSK13 @Siva_Kartikeyan @rajeshmdirector @actorsathish pic.twitter.com/hdu3zq9V7w
— Studiogreen (@StudioGreen2) May 8, 2018
Talking exclusively to Firstpost about roping in Nayanthara, Rajesh said, "When I met Nayan, she insisted her character should have proper scope in the screenplay. And the role has come out very well. It will be a fine performance-oriented character for Nayan. She's a Lady Superstar now and commands a market of her own at the box office with a lot of successful women-centric films. She liked her character arc in the movie and had given her nod to the project. I also thought that someone who knows the language better would be good for this script."
The project joins the list of Nayanthara's growing big ticket films this year after Thala Ajith-Siva's Viswasam, which she started shooting from yesterday in Hyderabad, and megastar Chiranjeevi-Surender Reddy's period magnum opus She also has Imaikkaa Nodigal and Kolamaavu Kokila waiting for release besides a bevy of untitled projects in the pre-production phase.
Heaping praise on Nayanthara, Rajesh added, "I share a good comfort level with Nayan. She would take the initiative and ownership about her costumes, makeup and everything. The advantage of having Nayan on board is that I don't need to worry too much, and half of my burden is already reduced. She would always be very involved and work out the character sketch on her own once she hears the script. She's a great performer and a dedicated actress."
Rajesh has earlier penned the dialogues for Sivakarthikeyan's 2013 blockbuster Varuthapadatha Vaalibar Sangam directed by Ponram. However, Sivakarthikeyan has grown from a fledgling actor then to a bankable star at the box office today.
Talking about directing Siva for the first time, Rajesh said, "There's a lot of hard work behind Sivakarthikeyan's rise in the industry. He has attained a significant stature in such a short time. Directing him now is a huge responsibility indeed. Although I wrote the dialogues for Varuthapadatha Vaalibar Sangam, I didn't have an opportunity to work closely with him. Now, I totally understand how he has reached great heights in a quick span. He's genuinely involved in each dialogue and scene, and continuously coming up with healthy suggestions and beautiful ideas. His deep involvement in the project is quite surprising for me."
The makers are tentatively planning to go on floors in July. "But, we haven't finalised the locations or exact schedules yet. Both Siva and Nayan are big stars, and we would need less-crowded places to carry out shooting without any hindrance," Rajesh says.
Rajesh, who is often criticised for glorifying drinking and smoking-related scenes in his films, has said that there will not be any such sequences in this project. "It will be a complete family entertainer. Although the writing is in my style, there will be exciting variations in the script. Since Sivakarthikeyan has a large fan base in family audiences and kids, there would be elements to attract them too. And, there won't be any smoking or drinking scenes. I have avoided all such scenes in the script and focused more on delivering a wholesome entertainer to audiences," said Rajesh on a concluding note.
After completing Sivakarthikeyan's film, Rajesh would reunite with Santhanam for his next project. Santhanam had starred in all movies helmed by Rajesh except his last outing Kadavul Irukaan Kumaaru as the hero's sidekick before he turned into a full-fledged lead hero himself.
Updated Date: May 09, 2018 10:40 AM