We all know that Santosh Sivan is internationally acclaimed cinematographer but many doesn't know is that he is an avid researcher too. The Raavanan cameraman is passionate about researching historical events and interestingly all his directorial venture so far has been based on such unexplored incidents. Sivan is officially the first cinematographer from Asia Pacific to get the prestigious American Society of Cinematography membership. He is currently shooting for Murugadoss' Thuppakki and his directorial venture Urumi (Tamil version) is all set for release. The film narrates the story of a boy who goes on a mission to kill Vasco Da Gama during one of his visits to Cochin.

Even for such an intense script Sivan preferred young actors rather than big games. When asked why, this is what he had to say? "When we work with experienced actors our burden will be minimized. At the same time making youngster perform is also a huge responsibility of a director. Prabhu Deva, Prithviraj, Arya, Genelia, Vidhya Balan and  Nithya Menon have done fabulous job in Urumi. Genelia surprised me a lot, she learned horse riding in just two weeks of time. Everybody has contributed whole heartedly for Urumi… Audience will find it soon…"