Nic Arts Chakravarthy launched his son Johnny in a film titled Renigunta directed by Paneerselvam, which went on to receive critical reviews – apart from huge box-office success.

The producer, is all set to release 18 Vayasu that has been made with the same actor and director. The film has generated huge expectations in trade as the main theme is said to be hardcore and realistic.

Newcomer Gayathri plays the female lead. Rumours have been rife that the movie has run into trouble with the Animal Welfare Board, which regulates the use of animals in films and television by strictly enforcing the Performing Animal (Amendment) Rules, 2000.

According to sources, there were some scenes in 18 Vayasu that featured animals, but prior permission was not obtained for the same.

Hence a No-Objection certificate could not be obtained from the AWB. When kollyinsider contacted Paneerselvam, he did admit that there were some issues with the AWB, but not in alarming proportions as rumoured. "We never used any real animals in the film.

The theme of the film is such that it warranted few animals and those, we have created through CG.
The lead boy Karthik (Johnny) is a psychologically disturbed person, who behaves like an animal whenever he comes across one – he has behaved like seven animals including a dog and a snake. We have animated those scenes instead of using real animals.

When we submitted it to the AWB, the Board insisted that we capture the scenes on Motion Picture as how we really captured the shots. My producer is furnishing it soon. So, there are no hassles with the film's release," Paneer asserts.