Apart from Santhanam, scripts important too: Sai Gokul

Sai Gokul Ramnath may have signed Tamil cinema's lucky mascot Santhanam for his upcoming Tamil romantic-comedy "Valiba Raja", but the director says the comedian's films fail too, and therefore, it is important to focus on script as well.

Santhanam has starred in nearly 20 out of 80-odd Tamil films released in the first half of 2013.

"He has been of great support to many films released in the recent past. Audiences have loved him more than any other comedian, but eventually it's the script that decides the fate of a film. There have been films that have bombed despite his presence," Gokul told IANS.

While Tamil films featuring Santhanam such as "Boss Engira Bhaskaran", "Oru Kal Oru Kannadi" and "Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasiya" turned out to be blockbusters, big-budget movies such as "Alex Pandian", "Osthe" and "Settai" bombed.

"Some producers want to cast him because he is popular. But, not every time his popularity saves a film. It's eventually a good script coupled with Santhanam's performance make a film click at the box-office," he added.

In the second half of this year, Santhanam has nearly 30 films lined up for release.

In "Valiba Raja", Santhanam's role promises a lot of fun elements, says Gokul.

"I have cast him in an important role. He is not playing the lead in my film, but I have given him scope for comedy," he added.

The film, which has recently gone on floors, features Sethu and Vishaka Singh in the lead. The director is on the lookout for second heroine.

"We have finished about 12 days of shoot. We are looking for the second heroine. I have Isha Talwar in mind, but nothing has been finalised yet. We are planning to release the film in early October," added Sai.