He did. The project is very personal to both of us. There is a lot of emotion involved in it because I am dedicating it to my father. It is good when there is sentiment attached to the project. You can't make a film without getting attached to it.

How did he react when you told your father that you were going to make an animation film on him?

He was very curious and also very excited. Again, animation is not known in India. It is new and it is a road that no one has travelled before.

So, his initial reaction was, animation? How is it going to be? And me as the hero?

I told him, Yes, Appa, you are going to be animated. Then I walked him through it and explained everything. He was very supportive, encouraging and very proud!

From the time I could remember, my parents have been extremely supportive of anything I want to do in life. My Dad is very involved in the project as it is his story.

Which part of his life are you going to animate?

It is not his life story; it is a story written by him.

Did he write the story for you?

No, he wrote the story to make it into a movie. But he never ended up doing it because Sultan's story is very, very grand. So, to make a live action movie, you require not only a gigantic budget but also a lot of effort by way of costumes, sets, etc. It is a huge undertaking because this is on the lines of Troy, Gladiator, etc. It is a film on a Warrior!

So, when I had this idea to make an animation film, Dad and I were discussing various ideas. Then, he gave me this story and said, 'develop this,' and I worked on it and went back to him with the screenplay. My father generally first approves the story of every film of his. Mr Rajnikanth approved the script and here we are doing the film!

Also see: A sneak peek at Rajni in Sultan The Warrior

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