I called Meera, asking her to come and save me: Sathyan Anthikad explains why he had to abandon the idea of new actress in Dileep movie

"Vinodayathra," released in 2007, is considered one of the best family movies of all time in the career of the popular Malayali director Sathyan Anthikad. The character Anupama, portrayed by Meera Jasmine, remains memorable to the audience. Recently, it has gone viral that the director had not initially chosen Meera for this role. Sathyan Anthikad revealed that his initial decision was to cast a new face as the heroine in the film. In an interview with a YouTube channel, he shared an interesting story about this decision.

"I initially thought that a new actress would be suitable for the role of the heroine. We made numerous attempts to find someone appropriate for Anupama. A couple of new faces auditioned, but even after the shooting had begun, none of them could perform well alongside the other actors. At that time, Meera Jasmine was busy with Tamil films and didn’t have any available dates. I have a very close relationship with Meera, as we have worked together on 'Rasathanthram' and 'Achuvinte Amma.' So, I called Meera directly and told her, 'You need to come and save me somehow,'” says Sathyan Anthikad.

Meera came because of her love for us. It was like Shobhana joining us during the production of 'Golanthara Vartha.' Anupama in 'Vinodayathra' has a powerful character, and with Meera's involvement, it became a fantastic combination. Some films are like that; the actors who will participate seem destined in advance. Our role is simply to bring them together.