Director Nag Ashwin and team have been scouting for a suitable male lead to portray Gemini Ganesan on screen for their biopic on legendary actress Savitri. Now, this opportunity has landed in Dulquer Salmaan’s lap! He has been offered the chance to play the veteran actor in the film, which will commence in May. Keerthy Suresh will be portraying the role of ‘Nadigaiyar Thilagam’ Savitri, while Samantha will be seen as a journalist in this Tamil-Telugu bilingual.
A source close to the team reveals to DC, “The team had considered several big names for the lead role and later finalised Dulquer. His character will appear throughout the film and it is expected of him to display various shades of emotion.” The OK Kanmani actor has also been asked to add on few kilos to fit the role perfectly. “Dulquer is waiting to start shooting for this venture. He has a leaner body and he has been asked to put on weight for the role. This is something new for the actor and he has picked it up as a challenge. Bringing the life of a veteran alive on screen got Dulquer much excited,” another source adds.
When the movie was announced, it was only Keerthy and Samantha who were brought on board and now, the cast is getting bigger by the day. As reported earlier, the team is also in talks with Prakash Raj and Anushka Shetty for pivotal roles. Designer Indrakshi Pattanaik will be working on the costumes for the entire cast and she has been researching the fashion trends that were prevalent between 1940s and 1980s. The story is set during that time period and will chronicle the life, career and the relationship of Savitri with Ganesan.
Composer Mickey J Meyer has already started working on the album. The rest of the cast is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks.
