Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff made his debut in the Tamil film industry with Aaranya Kaandam in 2011 and had acted films like Mupparimanam and Maayavan. He has now inked a deal to star in another Tamil film, titled Paandi Muni. Helming the project as its director is Kasthuri Raja. The actor plays an Aghori in the film.
In an interview to a leading daily, Kasthuri Raja opened up on why he chose Jackie Shroff to play the role. Cinemaexpress.com had quoted him as saying, "When I told Jackie that the role was of an Aghori, he immediately called me home for a detailed story discussion. Once I narrated the script, he just disappeared for half hour, and came back wearing a saffron cloth wrapped around him. I was impressed with his sincerity.” Revealing the Paandi Muni will be a film on the power of yoga, the director said the base plot is about the good and evil.
On playing an Aghori, Jackie Shroff told, “I just did whatever the director wanted. It is his dream, his brainchild. I have been shooting for the film only for the past six months; he has worked on this film for the past six years.”
The director also revealed that Jackie Shroff was not the first choice to play the role as he had approached Raj Kiran for it. However, it did not work out and eventually the Bollywood star hopped onboard.
The Aghori in Paandi Muni will not be the aggressive type that the films have portrayed so far, said Kasthuri Raja adding that he will be “a proponent of peace and believes silence is a powerful weapon.”
Touted to be a horror flick, Paandi Muni has been shot in several picturesque locations including the Javadha Hills. Around 70 percent of the shooting is almost over, we hear.
(Content provided by Digital Native)