Samantha bags lead in Pookadai

Samantha bags lead in Pookadai

The actress will star opposite Karthik's son, Gautham, who's making his debut

V Lakshmi

Looks like actress Samantha is fast becoming hot property in Kollywood. The latest news is that director Mani Ratnam has now roped in the actress to play the lead opposite Gautham in his next venture, Pookadai. The film, touted to be a rural flick set in the backdrop of a coastal village, will go on floors on February 1.
Confirming the news, Samantha's spokesperson says, "Mani Ratnam signed on Samantha for the lead in the film almost a month ago. She will begin shooting for her portions from February. Before she was finalized for the role, she did go through a screen test."
Interestingly, it was earlier rumoured that Radha's second daughter, Tulasi, and Kamal Haasan's younger daughter, Akshara, had been approached to play the lead. Apparently, Parthepan's daughter, Keerthana, and Samantha were also being considered for this performance-oriented role. Looks like Sam got lucky this time!
A source close to the unit says, "The pre-production work is on for the film and the film will start rolling in Muttom near Kanyakumari. This will be a 40-day schedule and Mani will can the scenes in and near the coastal town. The rest of the cast will also join him there."
The film, which also stars Arjun, Pasupathy and Lakshmi Manchu in important roles, has music by A R Rahman.

Samantha