Actor Shiva’s upcoming film Sumo is in the final stages of shoot. Written by him and directed by SP Hosimin, the film has Rajiv Menon as cinematographer, and Japanese sumo wrestler Yoshinori Tashiro, Shiva and Priya Anand as the lead actors.
Shiva tells Silverscreen, “I’ve always wanted to write and direct films, and this story on a sumo wrestler was on my mind for long.” He began working on the script right after the release of Tamizh Padam 2 last year, and later traveled to Japan to scout locations and cast for the film.
In Japan, he was introduced to Yoshinori Tashiro, who signed on as protagonist. “He’s a wrestling champion and also a very good actor. Sumo wrestlers are happy people and in the film, he is true to his character. This is a story about love across borders and I think we need more films on this theme.” Shiva plays a Chennai-based surfing trainer, and Priya is cast as his love. Eighteen other sumo wrestlers, referees and instructors also star in important roles. “The film is set in both Japan and Tamil Nadu. We are in the final leg of shooting in Puducherry, and are considering a September release,” he said.
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SP Hosimin, who has worked as Shankar’s assistant and also directed the Bharath-starrer February 14 (2005) and Shanthanu’s Aayiram Vilakku (2011), is making a comeback with this film. It is said that director Rajiv Menon agreed to be the cinematographer mainly thanks his love for travel, and also because this was an opportunity to film sumo wrestlers. Nivas K Prasanna is the music composer, and production is by Ishari K Ganesh’s Vels Film International.
Shiva currently also has Venkat Prabhu’s multi-starrer Party in the pipeline, and says he is looking to write his future films. “I’ve already committed to leading production houses for other projects, and we plan to launch them after Sumo,” he said.