Vivek Oberoi is making his Tamil film debut with Vivegam and director Siva said the actor is the perfect choice for the movie as he is a powerful and intense performer.
Oberoi will play the main antagonist in the film, which also stars Ajith Kumar, Kajal Aggarwal and Akshara Haasan.
"Vivek Oberoi is a powerful actor. When I conceived this character, I wanted an intense actor to essay the role. From the production side, they suggested Vivek Oberoi since he has an international look, knows Tamil and he likes Ajith sir a lot," Siva said.
The director said Oberoi's faith in the script made him feel truly confident about the movie.
"He agreed to do the film within the first fifteen minutes of the narration. As a screenplay writer, I felt it was a big success that I convinced an actor so soon. I honestly felt confident about my script."
Vivegam marks director Siva's third consecutive collaboration with Ajith after two successful box-office hits in Veeram and Vedalam.
The director said he was initially hesitant about pitching the script to Ajith since he had undergone a knee surgery back then and the role demanded a significant physical transformation.
"I narrated him the script and after listening to it, he assured that he will be ready soon. He exerted himself against his doctor's advice, working out two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. He did what he promised."
Siva said Ajith's decision to do high-octane stunt sequences without using a body double surprised the film's unit.
"It was very challenging to perform and shoot a motorcycle chase during the night and that too in such extreme weather conditions."
Siva said Kajal, who has been paired with Ajith for the first time and plays his wife in the film, is a fantastic actor.
"When I narrated the story to Kajal, she said, 'I have done 47 films so far, but never done such a role'. I was extremely happy about what she told. Her character is an NRI but a very subtle, homely and pious woman."
The music of the film has been composed by "Kolaveri Di" fame music director Anirudh Ravichander.
Talking about the composer, Siva said, "Anirudh is like a fully charged battery... He is a rock star, a true wizard. He can churn out a folk song like Aaluma Doluma, and a Western like Surviva that sets the bar high."
Produced by Sathya Jyothi Films, Vivegam is slated to release on August 24.
