It might be surprising for others that Bollywood's renowned action master, Tinu Verma, debuts in Tamil with Kaattu Puli. But for him, it’s a dream-come-true, a thought that took shape and eventually materialised.
Kaattu Puli is actually a trilingual made in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, directed by Tinu himself. He also plays the villain in the film. “The idea first sparked at the sets of Champion, in the Ramoji Rao studios in Hyderabad, when I met Arjun. I was working with Sunny Deol then,” reminisces the master.
He is close to the Deol brothers, as he has worked with Sunny ever since his first film Betaab, and also in Border and Gadar. “And I am a great fan of Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and also Yash Chopra, as I have done about 17 films with them,” he says.
Not surprisingly, Tinu is also a fan of actor Arjun, who is well known for his action films. “I’ve always been impressed by Arjun’s well-built physique, commanding eyes and his overall personality. No wonder he is called Action King in the industry,” says Tinu.
And that’s why Tinu was keen on working with Arjun and make a film that suits his personality and image. “We were in touch via emails. Last year, I showed my script to him and he was impressed,” he adds.
Tinu has already wielded the megaphone for two Hindi films before, Baaz – A Bird in Danger and Maa Tujhhe Salaam. “Kaattu Puli is also very close to me. In the first half of the film, you will notice how the characters enjoy life in the bowers and later, they run for their lives.”
The story revolves around Arjun, the saviour of three newly married couples who are stranded/attacked in a jungle. Priyanka Desai plays Arjun’s pair in the film. Rajneesh (Mr India title winner) and Sayali Bagath (Miss India), Hanaya (Miss Assam) and Amith, and Jahan and Jennifer play the three pairs in the film. The movie begins with a scene where 175 artists will visit Tirupati for a darshan of Balaji and it leads to the main plot. “Arjun liked this a lot,” says Tinu.
He says that the film has all the ingredients like action, thrill and a few sentimental scenes, required to make it a commercial success. “We camped in the deep jungles of Thalaikonam and we also shot in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. We constantly had troubles from monkeys in the forest,” he says. “There are sequences where one has to jump from as high as 70 ft. And there’s a lot more to look forward to like horse riding, under water shots, etc,” says Tinu Verma.
Who is his role model, when it comes to stunts and action? “Veeru Devgn, my guru and icon,” he says promptly.