pɹˈæviːn fˈɜːst ɐpɹˈoʊtʃt vˈɪdʒeɪ tə plˈeɪ ðə lˈiːd ɹˈoʊl, bˌʌt hɪz ɹᵻfjˈuːzəl mˈɛnt ðæt pɹˈæʃænθ, hˌuː hæd ɐpˈɪɹd ɪn mˈænoʊhˌɑːɹz ˈɜːlɪɚ pɹədˈʌkʃənz dʒˈiːnz nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti ˈeɪt ænd kˈɑːdhəl kˈævɪdhˌaɪ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti ˈeɪt, wʌz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd.
Praveen first approached Vijay to play the lead role, but his refusal meant that Prashanth, who had appeared in Manohar's earlier productions Jeans (1998) and Kaadhal Kavidhai (1998), was selected.