appearance) Crazy Mohan as interviewer Ramesh Aravind as himself (special appearance) Kanal Kannan as a rogue Peter Hein as a fighter K. S. Ravikumar as a spectator Kovai Senthil Production Development Jijo Punnoose wanted to make a film starring Kamal Haasan as a man dressed as a woman, but Haasan refused as the role was an adolescent woman whereas he wanted to play an elderly woman. Haasan later desired to do a film inspired by the American films Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Tootsie (1982) which became Avvai Shanmughi. He acknowledged the film's resemblance to another American film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), but "I guess we were both inspired from the same source" since he had the idea for Avvai Shanmughi six years before the release of Mrs. Doubtfire. Haasan dedicated the film to his mentor stage actor 'Avvai' T. K. Shanmugam, who was known for playing female roles in stage plays. Casting Sivaji Ganesan was Haasan's initial choice for the role of Vishwanatha Iyer, but he was unable to commit due to his ill health; the role went to Gemini Ganesan (no relation). A debutant Sri Durga was initially chosen to play the character Rathna, but was ultimately replaced by Heera. Haasan's daughter Akshara was considered for playing the lead pair's daughter, but declined; the role went to Ann, her feature film debut. Stunt master Kanal Kannan appeared in a small role of a street rogue. Maadhu Balaji was offered to act in the film, but declined. Design The make-up artist Michael Westmore provided advice for the film alongside K. M. Sarathkumar. An initial photoshoot had Haasan dressed as a middle-aged woman, but it was later decided that he portray elderly woman. The padding and foundation used gave Haasan an allergic reaction beneath his eyes. The make-up took five hours to put on and lasts for only five more hours. Haasan wore a nine-yard saree in the film for the female character, with Sarika contributing to the costume designing. Soundtrack The music of the film was composed by Deva and the lyrics were written by Vaali. The song "Rukku Rukku" is based on the Carnatic raga Sahana. The song "Velai Velai" is inspired from "Workaholic" by 2 Unlimited. The song "Kadhala Kadhala" was reused as "Gham Hai Kyon" in the Hindi film Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000), with change of instrumentation. Release and reception Avvai Shanmughi was released on