Jiiva is a bunch of talent: Deekay

When filmmaker Deekay of Yaamirukka Bayamey fame decided to go about scripting Kavalai Vendam (KV), he couldn’t think of anybody else better than Jiiva. Says the director, “For quite some time now, Jiiva hasn’t been able to experiment with his strengths. This is a full-on commercial romcom will bring him back on track. His character in the film is close to his real-life persona too! When I penned the script, I had only Jiiva in mind — its tailor made for him and he’s an effortless actor. He’s a bunch of talent, who’s equally spontaneous and handsome.”

KV is a practical movie, he says, which revolves around the story of a happy-go-lucky chef, who takes things as easy as they come — especially, breakups and relationships. “The story emphasises on the fact that it’s okay to go through the pain and be hurt, as these things are part and parcel of one's life. We have told this in an appealing way with an equal mix of comedy. Bobby Simha too plays an important role, which will linger in audience minds, as does Nikki Galrani,” says Deekay.

So, why was heroine Keerthy Suresh replaced by Kajal Agarwal in the project? “It is true that we had roped in Keerthy initially. At the time she was shooting for Rajini Murugan, and we wanted bulk dates from her. But without even informing us that she wouldn’t be doing the movie, she went on to accept the Prabhu Solomon-Dhanush film instead! It was thoroughly unprofessional, unfair and insulting. She did not even revert to our calls. I guess she must have thought, Dhanush is better than Jiiva,” laughs Deekay. But he was more than happy to bring Kajal on board, he adds, “I think she fits the role in a perfect way. This is also a heroine-oriented film in many ways, and I know her from my Maatran days, whilst I was working as an associate with KV Anand sir. When I approached her, she was very happy and gave me bulk dates immediately! We will start shooting for this film from November and have planned to work extensively in Chennai, Kotagiri and Kodaikanal.”