It was actor Chiyaan Vikram who was keen to play the role of a ‘puli vesham’ artiste in Vijay Milton’s Kadugu. But since Milton needed a certain kind of look — a short and thin body frame, he chose me,” opens up Rajakumaran. The filmmaker has worked with the likes of Ajith and Vikram before.
“I knew Milton from the time he was an assistant cinematographer and I was an assistant director. When he came home to talk about the film, I thought he had come to meet my wife Devayani and hence I said she was out of town. When Milton said that he had come to cast me, I was shocked. After a brief silence, I frankly asked him if he’d be able to sell the movie, if he brought me on board. Milton was adamant that the script demanded me and said that he couldn’t think of anyone else for the role!” he reveals.
On the preparations for his role, he says, “I reduced my weight and tonsured my head. I took six months’ of training from real puli vesham artistes and it was tedious. I had to also change my dialogue delivery and the body language.”
