 Sudeep's performance in "Naan Ee" impressed filmmaker Chimbu Deven, who cast him as the antagonist in "Puli" (2015).Speaking about the centenary of Indian cinema at the CII Media & Entertainment Summit 2012, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said regional cinema is surpassing Hindi cinema in content and story, and cited "Eega" as an example.Kapur said he was impressed with its story and use of technology, and called it "no less than a Hollywood superhero film".