Work on the heist comedy, Gorilla, featuring Jiiva and Shalini Pandey of Arjun Reddy fame, began in Pondicherry yesterday. Written and directed by newcomer Don Sandy, the film will feature a real-life chimpanzee -- a first for Indian cinema. Sources say the majority of the film will be shot in Thailand; the project is expected to be completed by April.

CS Sam, who made a mark with Vikram Vedha, is on board as the composer, and Antony L Ruben is in charge of editing. The cast also includes Sathish, Radha Ravi, Munishkanth, Yogi Babu and Rajendran.

While Jiiva is currently awaiting the release of Kee and Kalakalappu 2, both of which will be released on February 9, Shalini Pandey has quite a few projects lined up including GV Prakash's 100% Kaadhal, the Savitri biopic, Nadigaiyar Thilagam/Mahanati, and Dulquer Salmaan's travelogue with Ra Karthik.