Vijay Fanz Network - Canada

Sathyaraj has confirmed that he would play the crucial professor role in the Tamil remake of '3 Idiots', which was beautifully enacted by Boman Irani in the Hindi original.

"Yes, I am thrilled about working with Shankar. Though I denied the villain role he offered me in Sivaji, he was great enough to approach me for this meaty role in the 3 Idiots remake," the veteran actor has said.

"Many say I am playing Ileana's father in the film," he said and added: "But they fail to understand the weightage of the role. After a long gap, I have got such a wonderful opportunity, thanks to Shankar."

On why he denied 'Sivaji' offer, Sathyaraj said, "I acted with Rajinikanth in Mr Bharath because I had equal footage. But the villain role in Sivajji did not have much scope for me. So I took a firm decision said no."