Jiiva will step into the shoes of Ram in Nithya. The Tamil actor, who is the lead in the Tamil version (titled as Neethane En Ponvasanthan) will simultaneously shoot for the Telugu version. Produced by RS Infotech, the tri-lingual film has Samantha playing the female lead in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

It is advantage Jiiva, so to speak. The film is a romantic caper where he plays an engineering student, who falls in love with a psychology student. It will help the young star, son of RB Chowdhary, build his image in Telugu as well.

After Rangam, Jiiva has become a popular face in Telugu. Nithya will help him carve a niche among the audiences in A-class centres.

Known for his minimalist expressions and tall built, Jiiva looks convincing in romantic scenes and songs. Acting in Telugu is going to be a challenge for him.

For now, Ram's exit is Jiiva's unarguable advantage.