Mumbai, Nov 2 (IANS): Filmmaker Vetrimaaran says the experience of working on his latest Tamil directorial "Visaaranai" was mentally and physically draining for all his actors and himself too.

The film, which is about police brutality, had its Asian premiere at the ongoing 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival on Sunday.

"My actors went through a lot of pain. Although we used fiber batons for the beating sequences, the actors were really beaten. It left them both physically as well as mentally drained," Vetrimaaran told IANS.

The film features Dinesh, Murugadoss and Samuthirakani in lead roles.

"There were instances where Dinesh's skin would break open but he'd still continue shooting. He wanted everything to look authentic as possible. I don't think any other actor would've been as accommodating as him for this project," he said.

It wasn't easy for the actors who played the policemen too.

"For those who played the police officials, it was hard to erase the images of pain and violence from their heads. All of us had to undergo counselling sessions to let go of everything and return to our normal self," he added.

The film earned critical acclaim earlier this year when it had its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival.