Proud to have played a woman in 'Remo': Sivakarthikeyan

Chennai: Actor Sivakarthikeyan didn't have any inhibitions playing a nurse in the forthcoming Tamil romantic comedy "Remo". He says he accepted the role, which features for about 60 per cent of the film, with pride and gusto.

"The role made me realise how special it's to be a woman, especially after shooting for a scene where I play a nurse and I'm handed over a newborn. We didn't try to make the scene dramatic, but the minute I held the baby, I had tears in my eyes," Sivakarthikeyan told IANS.

The scene made him realise the pain women have to go through to bring us into this world.

"That instant when I held the baby, I thought about the women in my life - my mother, sister, wife and my daughter - and their contribution to my career. When I look back at the experience of working in 'Remo', I feel proud to have played a woman," he said.

Directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan, and co-starring Keerthy Suresh, "Remo" is slated for worldwide release on October 7.

Sivakarthikeyan says it was very tough to visualise himself in the disguise of a nurse.

"The toughest part about cross-dressing vis-a-vis any character is to visualise it in your head. If you are required to play a cop, you can imagine yourself in khaki, twirled mustache and flexed muscles. But how do you visualise yourself as a nurse because you don't know how you would look," he said, and added except his mother (who was shocked); all others he consulted before accepting the role, expressed immense support and positivity.

Asked if he accepted the offer to prove himself as an actor, he said: "The intention was not to prove I can do any role. It was to explore different characters. In 'Maan Karate', I tried my hands at dancing, and I did 'Kaaki Sattai' to see if I can pull off action on screen."

He also said he didn't have to put more effort to play a nurse.

"A lot of time was spent on the make-up for the nurse's character. Otherwise, the effort put into playing the nurse or the role from 'Rajini Murugan' was the same," he said, adding it took a lot of mental preparation to even accept the offer to play a nurse.

"It took me six months to convince myself. It was important that I was mentally ready to spend hours on make-up before shoot every day. Sixty hairpins were attached to my hair to hold the wig, and it felt like 60 people pulling my hair at all times. I usually don't get angry, but I got so irritated on so many instances while shooting," he said.