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Tamil actor Vishal turns Casanova

Vishal made his acting debut in Tamil in 2004 with Gandhi Krishna's Chellame. It was an instant success. His second film Sandakozhi with Meera Jasmine was also a success. But his last few films were repetitive and were rejected by his fans.

Now the actor hopes to revive his box office chances with Theeratha Vilayadu Pillai, a romantic comedy about a Casanova who romances three girls played by Neetu Chandra, Sarah Jane and Tanushree Dutta.

The movie is directed by Thiru and produced by his brother Vikram Krishna for their own production house, G K Films Corporation, (their father G K Reddy was a producer of Tamil and Telugu films for many years).

Vishal tells Shobha Warrier what to expect from the movie.

How different is Theeratha Vilayadu Pillai from your earlier films?

It is different in presentation, genre and my appearance in the film. We did not set out to make a different film; the script did. My character Karthik is a Casanova, the likes of which I have not played before. Those who think it's like any other Vishal film will be in for a surprise.

In all your films, you follow a set pattern. Are you scared to experiment?

No, no. Remember I am only eight-films-old!

When I did Sandakozhi, I didn't know Thimiru was next in line. At that time, I didn't know about Thamarabharani. I would say each film had its own signature.

I am doing Theeratha Vilayadu Pillai not because my previous films didn't do well. It just happened. I always wanted to do a romantic film and I got a script like this only now.

Unlike your earlier films, will this be an urban and more stylish film?

Yes, it is an urban film and I play a young man from Chennai.

'Frankly, I am irritated of carrying a sickle all the time!'

In most of your films, you played rural characters though you are basically Chennai-based. How did you prepare yourself to play those characters?

For Thamarabharani, I had to get the local slang right. I learnt it before I started the shoot. Other than language, I didn't have to prepare much. I think I look like a boy from a small town!

It is said that the signature of a Vishal film is a sickle or some such weapon.

[Laughs] Frankly, I am irritated of carrying a sickle all the time! But in those films, it was needed. A hero has to do what he is supposed to do.

Do you have a weapon in this film?

The only weapon my character has is overconfidence about women!

Did you identify yourself with the character?

Very well! Not 100% but 78%! I relate to the character immediately. For the first time I didn't do any home work for this character.

You must have had a blast with three beautiful women after you

Oh God! I will never do a film with three heroines again! The experience of working with three heroines is enough to last a lifetime. I think remaking Ben Hur will be easier. The burden would have been less if I was working for another production company but here, I was part of the production team too.

'It was a fake Facebook request that led us to Sarah Jane'

All the three heroines are from Mumbai. Why is that?

Actually we had planned the film with the top actresses here but as the film has three heroines, none were willing to do the film. One top actress told us to cast newcomers for the other two roles but we wanted top actresses for all the three so that the audience will be in suspense about who gets the hero at the end.

So, we started hunting for new faces for all the three roles. By new faces, I mean new to Tamil cinema. The first one to be finalised was Neetu (Chandra). She had already done a bilingual (13B in Hindi and Yaavarum Nalam in Tamil). It was the controversial shoot she did that caught our attention. We felt she suited the role perfectly. There is a reason for her inclusion in the film; it is a bold character that she is doing in the film.

Did you take Sarah Jane because of the ad she did with Saif Ali Khan?

No. The ad appeared only after we started shooting. It was a very strange situation that led us to Sarah. Somebody wrote to me on Facebook requesting for a role in the film, and that person used Sarah Jane's picture. I showed the picture to my director and he searched in on the Net and found that it was Sarah Jane! So, it was a fake Facebook request that led us to Sarah Jane. I think I have to thank whoever it was for directing us to Sarah.

What about Tanushree?

She was the last person to be included in the film. It was her dusky complexion that attracted us. She is a girl who lives in a LIG (Lower Income Group) flat in a place called Pattanapakkam. She is a girl from a lower middle class background.

'Multi-starrers are not happening in Tamil because of lack of good scripts'

You said you couldn't get three actresses from the south to act in your film. Why do you think Tamil actors and actresses don't act in multi-starrers? Is it insecurity?

With due respect to all the top heroines we approached, we found that they had issues with each other. The film had gone to quite a few actresses before we had these three. They have their own insecurities.

Even actors also refuse to act with other actors.

I am doing a film for Bala sir with Arya. I feel multi-starrers are not happening in Tamil because directors are not coming up with good scripts. It all depends on the script. I am doing Bala Sir's film because of the script.

All the actors, be it Vikram or Suriya or even Arya became strong actors after acting in Bala's films. For an actor who has worked only in commercial films, is Bala's film a transition for you as an actor?

I would only say that this film is going to be very important for my career.

How did Bala's movie come to you?

I just got a call from Bala sir one day and he said he wanted to narrate a script to me. I went to his office and he narrated the entire script to me. I was bowled over. I am waiting to start working with him.

'I am not affected by the successes and failures of my films'

In all of Bala's films, we don't see stars, only actors. Do you feel Bala will be able to extract something from you that the audience has not seen yet?

I am going to dedicate myself completely to him. For me, it is like getting admission into Harvard University. 

What is more important to you, people accepting you as a star or an actor?

Unless you are a good actor, you cannot be a star.

As an actor, what is more important to you, commercial success or creative satisfaction or awards?

Commercial success. You need commercial success to go after creative satisfaction and work in films for a niche audience, awards, etc.

Are you nervous on a Friday when a film of yours releases?

I don't know whether it is good or bad but I am not affected by the successes and failures of my films. Success and failure don't come in the way of selecting my future projects.

Whether the film is a success or a failure, my brother takes me out to a club and we party!