 In 2001, debutant S. P. Jananathan selected Shaam to be the lead actor in his first film titled "Iyarkai" after watching his performance in the film "12B" before the film had even released.Shaam joined the film while he was filming for "Girivalam".In an interview with "Rediff", Jananathan revealed that the reason the backdrop of the sea was chosen was because he was attached to the sea as he "grew up on the sea shore".