Lead actor Jesuthasan Antonythasan was a boy soldier with the Tamil Tigers before fleeing Sri Lanka for France, just like the character he plays in the movie.
The female lead actors Kalieaswari Srinivasan and Claudine Vinasithamby never acted in a feature film before.
Dheepan (2015) marks the first leading role for Jesuthasan Antonythasan in a feature film. He only had a small supporting part in the 2011 Indian film Sengadal (2011) before.
The first film in Tamil language and with Tamil lead actors to win the Palme d'Or.