I was inspired by the Hangover 2 poster, which features three happy guys and a chimpanzee, to include a chimpanzee in the cast in my heist comedy Gorilla”, reveals director Don Sandy. The movie stars Jiiva and Shalini Pandey of Arjun Reddy fame in the lead, and it also has Satish, Vivek Prasanna, and veteran actor Radha Ravi playing crucial roles.
Talking about the project in an exclusive chat with DC, Sandy says, ‘This is a new genre for Tamil audiences. Jiiva, Satish and Vivek Prasanna play friends in dire need of a huge amount of money. They plan to loot a bank and their scheme involves a chimpanzee. You’ll have to watch to find out if they are able to carry out their plans successfully, or if they get caught by the police.”
Originally, the plot did not include a chimpanzee, until the director was struck by a bolt of inspiration. “After I completed the script, I chanced upon the poster of Hangover 2, and I started wondering if I could also introduce a chimpanzee in my screenplay. My producer was also receptive to the idea,” Sandy says, smiling.
Though the story is based in Chennai, the scenes involving chimpanzee were shot in Thailand. “The chimpanzee is called Kong. She has acted in many Hollywood movies, so it was easy for us to get what we wanted from her. She became very friendly with Jiiva and Yogi Babu, and audiences can be assured of a laugh riot when they see them together on screen,” he says.
Talking about Shalini’s role in the film, Sandy says, “She plays a software professional, and her character creates a turning point in the story.”
The director promises that the film has something to offer for all age groups. “Audiences will enjoy it, and kids, especially, will lap it up,” he says.
Sam CS has composed music for the film, and Gurudev is the cinematographer.
