Malayalam star Nivin Pauly has expressed his frustration with the delayed production of Benz, his Tamil-language debut. The film, a part of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) and directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan, has Pauly as its antagonist opposite Raghava Lawrence.
In a recent interview, Pauly, recently seen in the Malayalam hit Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, spoke about the professional burden of maintaining his look for Benz. The actor features in a gruff bearded-look in the forthcoming action thriller. Since the film's production has dragged on following multiple delays, Pauly has been forced to retain the same look across his Malayalam recent projects, including Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Sarvam Maya and Prathichaya.
"I'm sick and tired of calling them about this," Pauly expressed in an even tone in a chat with YouTuber Rekha Menon. "Guys, at least after watching this interview, please make a decision and complete the film."
As per reports, Benz still has 30-35 days of shooting left. It is the fourth film in the interconnected LCU action universe and the first not to be directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. In addition to Raghava Lawrence and Nivin Pauly, the film also features Samyuktha Menon and Ravi Mohan. It is co-written and co-produced by Kanagaraj under his banner G Squad banner. Sai Abhyankkar, one of the hottest emerging talents in Southern film music, has composed for Benz.
Pauly's recent release, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, a rom-com co-starring Mamitha Baiju, has opened to widespread success. The Onam release has collected an estimated ₹80 crore at the box-office. In its review of the film, The Hollywood Reporter India observed, "The effect of (the) love story is only doubled by Nivin’s minimal performance. In one scene, after an hour of seeing him in restraint, you feel a jolt of energy when you see him behaving unduly shy. We may have seen Nivin in this zone before, but he gives us a feeling that we’re seeing a side to him that’s never been explored before."