Ken Karunaas, who is all set to make his directorial debut with Youth, has opened up about casting Sirai fame Malayalam actor, Anishma Anilkumar, as the female lead. Speaking to Radio Mirchi, Ken, who also headlines the film, said that he wanted to cast a Tamil actor, but nobody wanted to be a part of the film.
Calling Anishma "a brilliant performer", Ken continued, "Many people asked me why I chose a Malayali actor over a Tamil actor. The truth is, I approached several Tamil heroines, including many young actors who are currently active in the industry, but none of them were willing to share the screen with me or take up the character I had in mind. They were particular about the kind of roles they wanted."
When he had still not finalised the female lead, a random rant session led him to Anishma. "At one point, I even vented my frustration to director Suresh (Rajakumari) about not being able to find a female lead. That was when he showed me the ‘Neelothi’ song from Sirai. I had a completely different picture of Anishma in my mind. However, when I met her to narrate the story, I was surprised by her childlike voice. She listened to the narration, asked for a day to think it over, and then came back and signed the film,” he explained.
Ken says he had no ego battles with the team he ended up with. "The team I finally assembled had absolutely no ego. They were happy to take on whichever character I entrusted to them," he said.
Set to hit theatres on March 19, Youth also stars Suraj Venjaramoodu, Devadarshini, Anishma Anilkumar, Meenakshi Dinesh, and Priyanshi Yadav, among others, apart from Ken Karunaas.
GV Prakash Kumar, who has composed music for Asuran (2018) and Vaathi (2023), which featured Ken, is composing music for Youth. The crew of the film also includes Viki as the cinematographer, Nash as the editor, Ramu Thangaraj as the art director, and Kalai Kingson as the stunt choreographer.
Youth is produced by Karuppiah C Ram under his Paarvathaa Entertainments banner, with Sulochana Kumar producing under the Street Boy Studios banner.