Cinematographer turned director K V Anand is happy man now. His directorial venture Kanaa Kanden has made it big and Malluwood actor Prithviraj has made it big playing the negative role.

Asked about how he conceived the role, Anand says "I decided that my villain should be a soft-spoken gentleman. I created the character keeping in my mind actor Aravindhsamy.

"When I approached him, he declined to accept the offer. I then went to Madhavan, who was then busy playing a similar role in Ayudha Ezhuthu. My attempt to persuade Surya to play the role too failed. I even approached Prashanth for the role".

After that it seemed a dead-end for Anand. But he persevered.

"Having failed in my attempts, I decided to cast a newcomer. Only then, I saw a Malayalam movie Swapnakoodu starring Prithviraj. Impressed with his performance, I urged him to act in the negative character. He accepted it gleefully. After all hardships, I got the right man for the role," Anand adds.

Such a tales of success have always an intriguing twist to them.