Shakthivel performs risky stunts without a body double

Shakthi, who rechristened himself to Shakthivel Vasu, returns with a bang after a long hiatus with a movie titled Tharkaappu. The young actor will play a role that has two opposing dimensions for the first time. He will sport khaki for his tough cop role, while his other character is just the opposite — a mafia don.

“For the cop’s role, I shed 20 kilos of weight and underwent rigorous training under a real life police officer for a few months,” Shakthivel tells DC. It is interesting that the lead actors, including Shakthivel and Samuthirakani, do not have romantic partners in the movie. “Though the other two characters played by actors Vatsan and Satish have jodis namely Vaishali and Amitha, there are no clichéd scenes such as singing duets running around trees in the film,” says director RP Ravi.

Speaking more about the film, he says, “Set against the backdrop of Krishnagiri and the Tamil Nadu — Bengaluru border areas, the movie is based on real life incidents. It’s about the problems that arise out of a mistaken murder. It talks not only about self-defence but also how to protect society as a whole. That is the huge message it has.”

Inside sources said that despite the director’s advice of using a body double for a risky stunt, Shakthivel wouldn’t budge an inch. We have learnt that he performed a risky climax action scene where he jumped from the seventh floor of a building without using a dupe.