'Tiger' was to be made in Tamil: director

Director Vi Anand says his forthcoming Telugu actioner "Tiger" was originally planned to be made in Tamil, but the plan didn't materialise due to casting issues. However, he's positive that it will get remade in Tamil sooner or later.

"When I pitched the story to my mentor A.R. Murugadoss, he instantly liked it and was interested in producing it. He sent me to Fox Star Studios, who also liked it. But it's a two heroes subject and the casting part became tricky for the Tamil version," Anand told IANS.

Though Anand had plans to cast Jiiva or Vijay Sethupathi in one of the lead characters, the plan didn't go the way he had anticipated.

"As the project was getting delayed, I met actor Sundeep Kishan to make the film in Telugu. Sundeep sent me to producer Tagore Madhu, who's very close to Murugadoss. Luckily, Murugadoss vouched for me and it worked in my favour," he said, and added that plans for remaking the film in Tamil is still open.

"Tiger", which releases in cinemas on Friday, features Sundeep and Rahul Ravindran in the lead roles.

"It's an action-thriller. It's a tale about friendship between two friends, their bond and ups and downs in their lives. We've also addressed a social issue, which serves as the core of the film," he said.

Major part of the story is set in Varanasi, and Anand admits that shooting there was quite challenging.

"This place is mostly crowded, so shooting wasn't so easy. Thankfully, since most of the cast except Sundeep and Rahul, features newcomers, we shot using GoPro and 5D cameras without ever being noticed by anyone or getting mobbed," he said.

Anand made his directorial debut with Tamil sci-fi drama "Appuchi Graamam" last year. He says the transition from making a sci-fi to an out-and-out commercial film was not easy.

"Tamil audiences are open to films even in sci-fi genre. On the other hand, Telugu audiences still prefer a film with all kinds of emotions, and you can't go subtle. Audiences expect a filmmaker to go full throttle in everything, be it comedy, drama and action for that matter," he said.

Sundeep plays a character called Tiger in the film, which is inspired from a real life incident.

"The incident triggered off the inspiration behind the script. It's a commercial film, but boats a very unique narration," he said.

The film also features Seerat Kapoor as the female lead.