Vinod goes to Kollywood

Vinod Prabhakar, the muscular hero of Kannada cinema (6 feet 2 inches tall), son of late Kannada actor Prabhakar, one of the most powerful villains in movies like Muthu, Annamalai, Bhadrakali, Thai Meedu Sathyam and several others, has come all the way from the Kannada industry to try his luck in Kollywood.

He is all set to debut in Tamil with Paalai, to be directed by debutant A.C. Shivananda who assisted Sahodaran director R. Bharathan for seven years. "Paalai, produced by M. Selvaraj under the banner of SRS Cine Arts, is my first film in Tamil but I have done ten movies in Kannada prior to this. M. Selvaraj is a good friend and when he was making this film, he thought I fit the role, so here I am," Vinod said during an interview.

"I am well-known in Kannada films but no one knows me here. It's up to me now to make a mark, but it's not going to be easy. However, I am very confident about my stunt sequences and being an action hero fits me well."

He said that Paalai is a heavy, action subject about how circumstances create the rowdy hero. The film will be shot in Ooty, Munnar, Chennai and Mangalore. He also revealed that he is open to doing any type of roles in Tamil, hero or villain, as long as the role is good.

Paalai was launched recently on September 11 at AVM Studios, Chennai. Music is composed by Peter John, lyrics are penned by Kadhal Mathi, editing by M.N. Raja and cinematography is by Citibabu.