Filmmaker Pushkar says actors Vijay Sethupathi and Madhavan, who play the leads in his forthcoming Tamil action-thriller Vikram Vedha, were competitive and constantly tried to outperform each other.

The director thinks it’s a myth that two leading stars can’t work together. “While they were competitive, there were absolutely no ego issues. They were more worried about getting the scene right.”

Pushkar admits the film is based on the mythological characters, Vikram and Betal. “We have borrowed the structure of the mythological story and given it a contemporary twist. The story is about a police officer and a gangster. Audiences will have to work out who is good and bad,” he adds.

Madhavan plays a police officer, while Vijay Sethupathi is cast as the gangster. Pushkar has co-directed the film, along with his wife Gayatri. The film, produced by YNot Studios, also stars Shraddha Srinath, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Kathir, and is set for release this Friday.