[2][3] He shot for the film throughout 2002 alongside fellow debutants Siddharth, Genelia D'Souza, Bharath, Nakul and Thaman.
[4] The story centerd on six youngsters, conveying a message about the importance of good education and career over distractions, such as romance and sex, and marked a move away from Shankar's usual brand of vigilante films, gaining much publicity prior to release.
[6][7] In the following years, while the other five debut actors have been successful, Manikandan has struggled to receive acclaim and feature in high-profile films.
[9] Manikandan subsequently received offers to feature as the lead actor in Kadhal FM (2005) and then alongside Simran in Kicha Vayasu 16, but both films were low key releases and fared poorly at the box office.
[3][10] He missed opportunities to act in Thenmerku Paruvakaatru (2010) and Soodhu Kavvum (2013), which catapulted Vijay Sethupathi to stardom.