Ashok Selvan: Working with Venkat Prabhu for a film was a dream come true for me

The trailer of Venkat Prabhu's Manmatha Leelai was released the other day. Ashok Selvan, Riya Suman, Samyuktha Hegde and Smruthi Venkat play pivotal roles in the film which has been produced by Muruganantham. The lead actors opened up about their experience of having worked in the movie in a pre-release event held in Chennai.

Ashok recollected his memory of watching the director's debut film Chennai 600028 after completing his plus two exams. He said that he and his friends were quite emotional as they were about to choose different paths in their lives, but the film provided wholesome entertainment to them.

He said, "It was quite a memorable experience. We laughed and cried a lot. I have always loved Venkat sir's movies; working with him was a dream come true for me. He came to me and said that he is planning an experimental movie with me. I was glad to be a part of the project."

Ashok added that unlike many assume, this isn't a vulgar film. He said, "I have been asked by a few why I chose to do such a movie. The fact is, it is a comedy and will offer unlimited entertainment to viewers. There is an innocence to its story."

During her turn, Riya said that her character in the film is something different from the ones she has played till date. According to her, she had inhibitions to act in a few intimate scenes, but the director ensured that she was comfortable while shooting those sequences.

Samyuktha said that she had a blast working for the film and that Manmatha Leelai has many theatrical moments. "Earlier, there were discussions on whether we should release the film on OTT. I'm glad that theatres opened up much before we anticipated," she added.