'Lie wouldn't have been possible without Arjun'

Buoyed by the success of the Telugu action-thriller Lie, the film's lead actor Nithiin says the film wouldn't have been possible if Tamil star Arjun hadn't agreed to play the antagonist. Although Arjun has starred in a few Telugu films in the past, this was the first time he's played the villain.

Talking about the overall positive response for Lie, Nithiin says, "Lie has been a great journey. After the success of aAaAa, I could have chosen an easy film, but I wanted to do something new and that's why I took the tough route."

Directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, the film features Arjun in a pivotal role. "I thank him (Arjun) for accepting the villain's role. If not for him, Lie wouldn't have been possible," says Nithiin.

The film released worldwide on August 11, and the actor admits the shaky start worried him. "On the first day, the film opened to mixed reviews in India. Hanu and I were dejected. We were not sure what went wrong and worried that our hard work for the last one year had gone down the drain," he says.

However, from Saturday, Lie gradually picked up steam. "On Saturday, about 65 to 70 percent of the common audience liked it. On Sunday, more than 85 percent of the audience liked it. Their response reflected in the numbers," Nithiin adds.

Produced by Anil Sunkara, the film also stars Megha Akash.