Sathyaraj has confirmed that he would play the crucial professor role in the Tamil remake of '3 Idiots', which was beautifully enacted by Boman Irani in the Hindi original.

"Yes, I am thrilled about working with Shankar. Though I denied the villain role he offered me in Sivaji, he was great enough to approach me for this meaty role in the 3 Idiots remake," the veteran actor has said.

"Many say I am playing Ileana's father in the film," he said and added: "But they fail to understand the weightage of the role. After a long gap, I have got such a wonderful opportunity, thanks to Shankar."

On why he denied 'Sivaji' offer, Sathyaraj said, "I acted with Rajinikanth in Mr Bharath because I had equal footage. But the villain role in Sivajji did not have much scope for me. So I took a firm decision said no."