Production
Bala, an erstwhile assistant of Balu Mahendra wrote the script of the film, then titled Akhil, in the mid 1990s and offered the film's lead role to his housemate Vignesh who refused the film. In fact, it was Murali who was about to play the lead role in Sethu ."But he allowed Vikram to do the role, based on a request from Bala.
In 1997, debutant director Bala offered Vikram the role of the rogue, Sethu (Chiyaan), in the film of the same name. To prepare for the character, Vikram shaved his head, thinned down to half his size by losing 21 kilograms and grew nails for the role. Furthermore, he did not accept any other offers during this period in order to maintain the continuity of his looks, with the film took two full years for completion. Vikram has since described the period of production as "the worst phase of his career" as he was weak economically, and "his fire was in danger of dying down". Keerthi Reddy was initially signed on to play the lead female role, but was later replaced by Rajshri and then subsequently Abitha.
The film struggled to find a distributor and only after sixty seven screenings did the film manage to find a buyer, with most refusing the film due to the tragic climax.
Read more about this topic: Sethu (film)
Famous quotes containing the word production:
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