'Finding boy to play lead in 'Pulipaarvai' challenging'

Director Pravin Gandhi says it took him months to find a 12-year old boy to play the lead in his upcoming Tamil thriller "Pulipaarvai", which narrates the story of Balachandran, son of late LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Child actor Satya Dev plays Balachandran in the film.

"I wanted a boy who resembled Prabhakaran's son. We searched for months before finally meeting Satya. It was extremely challenging to find him. He had no experience of facing the camera but he was a natural. All that he required was instructions and he would act effortlessly," Pravin told IANS.

The film, which narrates the events that lead to the killing of Balachandran, is "part fiction" and "part truth".

"The story is inspired by a real event but I've added layers to it to make it cinematic enough for audiences to enjoy. The story is told from the perspective of 12-year old Balachandran. It will be very emotional and gripping," he said.