Actress and producer Khushbu Sundar has revealed that actor Santhosh, the lead of the upcoming Tamil romantic fantasy drama 'Double Occupancy', underwent a full certificate course in bartending to authentically portray a bartender in the film. The disclosure came during a pre-release event for the film in Chennai on 27 May.

Khushbu on Santhosh's dedication

Speaking at the event, Khushbu — whose production banner Avni Films is co-producing the film — said she has known Santhosh since his school days and has watched his commitment to acting grow over the years. 'Right from his school days, he was fixed on becoming an actor. He was good at studies but he was focussed on becoming an actor. He had a passion for it. For it, he worked. He would run every morning, go horse riding, swimming. In fact, he plays a bar tender's role in the film. To make sure he played it to perfection, he went and attended classes and completed a certificate course in it. When somebody works so passionately, success will come in search for him,' she said.

Santhosh on his bond with the production team

Actor Santhosh, addressing the gathering, credited creative producer Anandita Sundar — Khushbu's daughter — as both a professional collaborator and a close friend. 'Everybody knows Anandita as only the Creative producer of this film but for me, she is also my BFF. I've known her from school. She knows all my dreams. She would listen to all that I had to say without judging me in school,' he said.

Santhosh also paid tribute to Khushbu for backing him as a first-time hero, noting that he was the one who brought the story to the production house — an unusual arrangement for a debutant lead. 'No production house would agree to cast an actor within a year as a hero. Even if they say okay, they would have chosen a story of their choice. But in this case, I was the one who chose the story and gave it to them. To this day, she has given us full freedom. Thank her for the infinite happiness she has given me. I will not forget this till the day I die,' he said.

About 'Double Occupancy'

'Double Occupancy' is being produced by Avni Films in collaboration with Benzz Media, and marks the directorial debut of Aswin Kandasamy, who has previously worked with leading production houses. According to sources close to the project, the film explores identity, duality, the tension between science and faith, and the emotional complexity of loving someone who exists in two different forms.

Santhosh, known for his appearance in 'Ponniyin Selvan', leads the cast alongside Samyuktha Viswanathan, Reshma Venkatesh, and Vinoth Kishan. Veteran actors VTV Ganesh and Bagavathi Perumal play pivotal supporting roles.

Technical crew

On the technical front, cinematography is handled by Santhakumar Chakravarthy, with music composed by Sam CS. Editing is by Praveen Antony, production design by Senthil Raghavan, and costumes by Sruthi R. Kannan. The film is expected to bring a distinctive visual and sonic identity to the Tamil romantic fantasy genre.

With its pre-release buzz building around Santhosh's preparation and the film's ambitious thematic scope, 'Double Occupancy' is shaping up as one of the more closely watched Tamil releases of the season.