Director Abishan Jeevinth, who witnessed massive success with his debut film Tourist Family, starring Sasikumar and Simran in lead roles, is all set to make his acting debut in With Love, which is set for release in theatres on February 6. However, the decision jump into acting was not instantaneous for the director.
In a recent interview with Galatta, Abishan, along with Anaswara Rajan, who plays the female lead; producers Soundarya Rajinikanth and Magesh Raj Pasilian, sat down to speak about the upcoming film when the Kochadaiiyaan filmmaker said that his face "stood out" for her when she watched Tourist Family. "He is a star. You will watch it in the film. Although he only appeared in a few scenes in Tourist Family. When appa watched the film, he called him 'hero material'," she recalled.
Calling that moment a pivotal point in his career, Abishan shared, "Following the success of the film, I was planning to start my next project. During that time, I met ma'am (Soundarya) when she told me that I have a charming face. I brushed it off, thinking she must have said it as a joke. Later, we met Rajini sir. Until a day before that meeting, I kept contemplating about joining With Love and whether I would be accepted as an actor by audiences. My mind was flooded with all of these thoughts."
However, Rajinikanth's appreciation for Tourist Family and Abishan made him ecstatic and cleared the doubts in his mind. "He called me a 'hero'," he noted. "It broke all my insecurities. He further encouraged me to pursue acting, stating that the director's chair would always be waiting for me," he added.
With Love is directed by Madhan in his debut. Interestingly, he worked as an assistant director to Abishan in Tourist Family and to Prabhu Ram Vyas in Lover, starring Manikandan. The film is produced by Magesh Raj Pasilian's MRP Entertainment, the banner behind Tourist Family, along with Soundarya Rajinikanth's Zion Films.
A previously unveiled teaser of With Love showed Abishan and Anaswara as a young couple in a complicated relationship, teasing a relatable Gen Z romantic comedy.
On the technical front, Sean Roldan, the music composer in Soundaryaa's directorial debut Velaiyilla Pattadhaari 2 (VIP 2), has scored for the film, along with cinematographer Shreyaas Krishna and editor Sureshkumar K.
