Dhanush an effortless actor: John Mahendran

Chennai, June 21 (IANS) Southern writer-director John Mahendran, who has written the dialogues in "Ambikapathy", the Tamil version of Hindi film "Raanjhanaa", says the movie's leading man Dhanush is effortless in his performance.

"He doesn't follow any particular formula to act. He allows himself to sink in to the skin of the character and perform. I have seen him perform over the years and one thing that I noticed is that he performs with ease. He's an effortless actor," Mahendran told IANS.

He says Dhanush's transformation from a Tamilian to Banarasi for the film is outstanding.

"It's tough to believe that you are watching the same Dhanush from Tamil films. For someone, who is playing a Banarasi for the first time, the transformation he has undergone to turn in an impeccable performance is exceptional," he said.

Mahendran says he fell in love with the script.

"I was lucky to have got this project at the last minute. As I read the script once before translating it, I fell in love with it. Himanshu Sharma (writer) has breathed life into it with his story that will touch the core of your heart," said Mahendran.

Known for writing Tamil films such as "Settai" and "Sachin", Mahendran says writing for "Ambikapathy" was a fun experience.

"I had to write keeping in mind Dhanush's local fans and therefore, the overall experience was fun. There was lot of scope for some funny lines and I made them as funnier as possible," he added.

While "Raanjhanaa", directed by Anand L. Rai released Friday, the Tamil version, "Ambikapathy" is scheduled to release June 28. The film is produced by Eros International, and has music by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman.

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Ambikapathy