Udhayanidhi and his heroines

In Kollywood, when it comes to the casting of the heroine, the word of the hero gets weightage. There are even some heroes who are very particular about who their female lead should be. Actor and producer Udhayanidhi Stalin says that he usually lets his directors pick the heroine, but at times, he offers suggestions. “But I don’t interfere with their salary and call sheet details,” says Udhay and lists out how the heroines of his three upcoming films were chosen.
“For Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen, which will be releasing first, it was director Ezhil who chose the heroine, Regina Cassandra,” he says.
For debutant Thalapathy Prabhu’s Podhuvaga En Manasu Thangam (PEMT), he says that they tried getting a couple of heroines, but it was cameraman Balasubramaniem, the cinematographer of his first three films, who suggested Nivetha Pethuraj. “Balu sir and I are very close; he even listens to scripts for me, and it was he who told me take up PEMT in the first place,” says the actor.
However, it was Udhay who brought Manjima Mohan on board for his untitled film with Gaurav. “The character of the female lead comes throughout the film and is a bold one. Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada had not released then, but I’d seen Manjima’s Malayalam film, so I suggested to Gaurav that he should narrate his script to her,” he reveals.