When Sathyaraj, Sibiraj complemented each other performance-wise

Director Dharanidharan says veteran actor Sathyaraj and his son Sibiraj have complemented each other in terms of performance in forthcoming Tamil horror-comedy "Jackson Durai".

"Never did they feel like father and son on the sets. They treated each other with respect like most actors do and complemented each other performance-wise. They gave each other the required space and hence, their chemistry really worked in favour of the film," Dharanidharan told IANS.

In the film, Sibiraj plays a police officer and Sathyaraj will be seen in a pivotal role, donning three different avatars.

"Sibi's role will leave audiences in splits. He plays a funny cop and has some of the film's best moments. Sathyaraj sir, on the other hand, plays a ghost that's both serious and funny at regular intervals," he said.

Sathyaraj initially turned down the offer.

"After garnering nation-wide acclaim for 'Baahubali', he wasn't interested in playing a ghost. He was not willing to compromise but it was only after I showed a small presentation of what I had in mind for his character that he finally agreed," he said.

Dharanidharan also says audiences should not compare Sathyaraj's role in the film with Kattappa from "Baahubali".

"I hope audiences don't draw a comparison with 'Baahubali'. My film belongs to a totally different genre and Sathyaraj sir has a very performance-oriented role with a strong comic sense," he said, adding that unlike most horror films, they have not made "Jackson Durai" gory and unpleasant.

"This film is also suitable for family audiences. We've made it as commercial as possible to attract audiences even in the outskirts of Tamil Nadu. We want the film to reach beyond multiplexes," he said.

Slated to release in cinemas on Friday, the film also stars Bindu Madhavi, Mottai Rajendran and Karunakaran.

Some portions of the film has period backdrop.

"I don't want to reveal much about it. It's during this portion of the story the mystery unfolds. Briefly, we've shot in pre-independent era and we used visual effects to make everything look authentic," he added.

--IANS

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