Kaduva: Prithviraj Sukumaran reveals Biju Menon was the first choice to play Vivek Oberoi’s role

Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi is all set to make his comeback to Malayalam after his stellar turn as the villain in Lucifer. In his upcoming venture Kaduva, which is set to hit theatres on June 30, the actor will once again be teaming up with Prithviraj Sukumaran, who had helmed Lucifer.

However, in a recent interview, the Malayalam star revealed Vivek wasn’t the first choice to play the part of the second hero in the movie and it was in fact, his Ayyappanum Koshiyum co-star Biju Menon.

Also read: Prithviraj Sukumaran: With Kaduva, I have now completed a trilogy on male ego 

Talking to Indiaglitz, Prithviraj said that when he first heard the script of Kaduva, Biju Menon was the first name that he considered. Back then he was yet to shoot for Ayyappanum Koshiyum. However, after the latter released and went on to become a superhit, the actor said “we realised we couldn’t be repeating this casting especially in a film like this.”

Both Ayyappanum Koshiyum and Kaduva revolve around ego clashes between its two protagonists. While Prithviraj plays Kaduvakunnel Kuruvachan, a young and successful planter who is a scion of a wealthy family in Pala, the actor said that the other protagonist is his character’s friend, who happens to be a high ranking official in the Kerala Police and has known each other since their childhood as they go to the same church.

Prithviraj said he was the one who suggested Vivek Oberoi’s name and rest of the team agreed. However, his only concern was that the character, unlike the modern role essayed by Vivek in Lucifer, is that of a person from Pala and the nativity of the character had to come through.

He lauds Vivek for taking on the challenge. The Bollywood star kept asking him about the setting as well as the history of the families in the area. “He was trying to create something for the character,” said Prithviraj, adding that having an actor like him as part of Kaduva was a huge plus. “We wanted somebody who could bring in a sense of authority. They had to be two equal forces,” he said.

Kaduva, which is scripted by Jinu Abraham, is set to release in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.