Tamil filmmaker Bharatbala chose Parvathi Menon for his upcoming romantic-drama "Mariyaan" because he finds her rooted to the landscape of the film - a factor he believes is very important while casting.
Parvathi, a Malayalee actress, is known for her work in Tamil films such as "Chennaiyil Oru Naal" and "Poo".
"I could have easily chosen a north Indian actress, but I believe an actor should be suitable to the landscape against which a film is shot. I chose Parvathi because right from her features to her body language - everything is apt for the setting of the film," Bharatbala told IANS.
Set against the backdrop of Kanyakumari and Sudan, "Mariyaan" is about the will of survival of a fisherman held captive.
"Parvathi is not just a south Indian, but also carries the typical features of a south Indian. Since her part of the story is set in Kanyakumari, she was apt to pull off a compelling role. I also picked her because I liked the intensity of her character in the film 'Poo'," he added.
Bharatbala also said that it is vital to let the characters choose actors.
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"I don't believe that a script can be written keeping in mind an actor. I never wrote the script of 'Mariyaan' keeping in mind Dhanush or Parvathi. It was the characters of my film that eventually made me choose them.
"In fact, I wasn't even sure who to cast when I began scripting. But, I knew that every story will take you to a destination. I believed in this theory and I was successful in the process," he added.
The film also features Salim Kumar, Appu Kutty and Jagan. It is produced by Venu Ravichandran and has music by the Oscar-winning A.R. Rahman.