The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Hollywood actor's pat for Kamal Hassan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 03, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Hollywood actor's pat for Kamal Hassan

S.R. Ashok Kumar

Lev Gorn, martial arts specialist, is doing a role in "Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu"

SHARING A JOKE: Kamal Hassan with Lev Gorn

CHENNAI: For him this is his first Indian film outside Hollywood. He has worked with the likes of Robert De Niro in "The Good Shepherd".

He has also worked in more than eight feature films before being selected to do an important role in the Seventh Channel Productions' "Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu" directed by Goutham Menon.

Lev Gorn is a specialist in weapons training, martial arts, boxing and horsemanship. He can play tennis, soccer and he is a professional photographer.

"I was asked to come and see the representative of the Tamil film to be shot in New York. Only later I came to know I was to work with Kamal Hassan. After working with him for nearly 30 days in the U.S., I came to know that he is much loved in Tamil film industry but also a superb actor. Now I can assert, he is on a par with any international star. He even discussed on how I can do certain stunts without getting hurt."

In `V.V', Kamal Hassan dons the role of an Indian investigating officer who comes to the U.S in search of a murderer.

He gets help from the local police force and Lev Gorn is deputed to help Kamal Hassan.

"I have done an important role in "Good Shepherd". I played the lead role in "Sucker Punch", "The Pendulum", "Straight Forward" and "Vodka Rocks".

Lev Gorn says director Goutham Menon and cameraman Ravivarman are workaholics.

"One day we were shooting a scene in which both me and Kamal Hassan were running with a helicopter flying very low. Both Goutham and Ravi were literally hanging below the helicopter and shooting the scene. Not many would do it in the U.S. They would have got some of the best visuals. The chopper was used in Spiderman I and II."

Lev Gorn is happy doing the Tamil movie for two reasons: "I did the film mainly because it has brought me to the best of places in India — Chennai — and also to work with Kamal Hassan, a master actor.

The second schedule of "Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu" was finished in Chennai where Lev Gorn worked with Kamal Hassan, before flying back to the U.S.

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