Chennai, Feb 24 (IANS): Director Durai Senthil Kumar says actor Sivakarthikeyan, who is usually seen in romantic and comic roles, has worked really hard to play a policeman in forthcoming Tamil actioner "Kaaki Sattai".

"Siva was initially sceptical if he could pull it off. He took up the role because he had always wished to be a policeman in real life too. His father was a policeman, so there was a stronger reason for him to play the role. He worked very hard for the role," Senthil Kumar told IANS.

"He focused on getting every minute detail right while playing the policeman's role. Right from the walk to making eye contact, Siva put in a lot of effort. The role also made him emotional because it reminded him of his father and hence, this film is close to his heart," he said.

"Kaaki Sattai", which also features Sri Divya, Prabhu, Satish, Vijay Raaz, Manobala and Nagineedu, releases in cinemas Friday.

Senthil clarifies that "Kaaki Sattai" is not a serious film.

"To appeal to the masses, we've packed it with comedy and romance too. Audiences will get to see Siva doing some action for the first time. We've portrayed the action very realistically and Siva worked in tandem with the stunt choreographer to get everything right," he said.

For his role, Siva lost about 7 kg.

"Siva insisted that he'd lose some weight to play the role to a T. I was floored by his dedication and since I've already worked with him once, he was willing to go to any extent for the role," he added.

"Kaaki Sattai" was originally written for Dhanush.

"I've known Dhanush from 'Aadukalam' days. I had written this script keeping him in mind but since he was busy, he couldn't do it. After producing my first film 'Ethir Neechal', Dhanush asked as to do another film. I tweaked the script of 'Kaaki Sattai' and made it with Siva," he said.