After a long search, the award-winning cinematographer Ravi K Chandran has finally found a heroine for his directorial debut Yaan. She is 15-year-old Thulasi, the second daughter of veteran actress Radha and the sister of Karthika.
Jiiva has already been chosen as the male lead.
Thulasi is currently shooting for Mani Ratnam's Kadal.
When asked why he chose Thulasi, Ravi Chandran said, "As the story takes place in Mumbai and the girl is a Tamil living in Matunga, I wanted a girl who can speak Tamil.
"Because
it is my first film, I do not want to concentrate on teaching the language to the heroine.
"We considered many names. That was when I heard of Thulasi who is Mani Sir's heroine in Kadal. He told me that she was a very good actress and has picked up Tamil very well. His recommendation was more than enough for us. So, we signed her.
"We didn't look at her elder sister Karthika because she was already paired with Jiiva in Ko. We wanted a fresh pair."
Chandran says Thulasi's age is not a problem. "Though she is only 15, she looks quite big for her age. If you look at not only Indian films but Hollywood films, you will see heroines half the age of heroes!"
We will have to wait till Mani Ratnam introduces her to see how Thulasi looks. The shooting will start in December in Mumbai
