Tamil hero Simbu, who was all set to play the lead role in ‘Ayan’ fame K.V. Anand’s next film ‘Ko’ and was to leave for the People’s Republic of China for shooting, has pulled out of the film on his own at the very last minute. The reason given is that Simbu is not so impressed by the replacement of heroine Tamannaah by newcomer Karthika, who happens to be the daughter of yesteryear’s heroine Radha.
 

Though Simbu and Anand have been giving separate reasons for Simbu opting out of the film, it is said that Simbu took the decision to stay away from the film as the script, which reportedly had political overtones, demanded him to appear in various get-ups including that of a old man’s role. Simbu probably felt that he had a long way to go before attempting such roles and excused himself from the film, it is reported.
 
The talented Jeeva, whose career has been on the upswing for the past couple of years, has now been roped in as Simbu’s replacement. After a simple pooja , the ‘Ko’ Unit is scheduled to leave for China today to shoot a couple of songs first.