I don't want to be the typical hero who dodges bullets: Simbu

CHENNAI: A man with a dense beard and a long hair enters the interview room in a group of five and at one glance you surely wouldn't recognise who Silambarasan among them is. Wearing a denim shirt, the neck-length beard is the first thing you'd notice and ask him about the feedback he has been hearing from people around him for this look.

"Various people are saying various things about this look, I wonder which comment do I specifically have to tell you," he laughs.

His Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (VTK) and is his third film with director Gautham Menon after Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya and Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada.

"There is a perception that when Gautham and STR come together, they can only make romantic films. With VTK we have deviated from that. If you believe I did something different with Maanaadu, then VTK too is not your typical film with a masala template. In fact, Maanaadu's success gave me the hope to sign a film like this and the mutual faith that Gautham and I have on each other. Some directors and actors keep collaborating and repeat success. That is what we both are. VTK is about a small-town guy who makes it big under certain circumstances. That doesn't mean that the film would have larger-than-life stunt sequences. If someone hits the hero in the film, he gets hurt and he doesn't recoup like a hero in commercial films. At the same time he bounces back at the right time. There is a scene in which I lose a couple of fingers and Gautham asked me if it is okay for the hero to lose fingers, I said, 'Sir erkanave namma heronga mela bullet padave padadhu nu elaarum kalaaikaranga' (People make fun of hero dodging bullets in fight scenes). So let us make it look realistic and raw," he explains.

STR surprises us by saying that he wasn't writer Jeyamohan's first choice for the project and how he had to transform himself for the role. The movie also has him in three different looks.

"Jeyamohan wanted someone who could play a 19-year old. The story takes place in three different time periods. When Gautham told me this, I said let's have a photoshoot first and if I do not fit the role, then they can look for another actor. I lost three kgs and then gained three kgs to play Muthu from other time periods. Jeyamohan saw me on the sets and asked what happened to me. I said, 'Ungalaala dhan ipdi aaiten' (It is because of you)," laughs the actor. Apart from that STR had to do various things to look the part. "I walk slanting on one side and you would think I play a physically-challenged person. No but that is how some people walk normally. The story is that of a real-life person whom Jeyamohan had met but I haven't. For a specific scene, I wiped the sweat off my face as I work. This is something that people working in restaurants in Tirunelveli do often. Jeyamohan asked Gautham was this included in the script and he said STR did it himself and I did it because I was sweating on the sets. It is good to do your work with conviction," he smiles.

He also recalls a fight scene that was excruciating and that turned him 'devilish'. He rewinds to the day of the shoot and begins, "'Adhaan naan inna solrena' (What I am saying is), that is a single-shot fight scene and even if one person goes wrong, we need to reshoot the entire scene again. We had to reshoot it once because there was no water supply for the scene. After quite a few retakes I went insane and turned devilish. But yes, the effort is worth it. I hope you all like VTK the way you liked Maanaadu and the movie has an open ending. The sequel depends on how the first part is received upon the release."

The conversation slants away from VTK and he says that going ahead he would refrain consciously from incorporating scenes that are vulgar in his films. "I have become mature with age and experience. There were times I made bad decisions and my films had liplocks and smoking scenes. Those were unnecessary until the script requires it I believe," he tells us.

The actor-filmmaker made films that were way ahead of their time. With the emergence of OTT such a decision from a writer like Silambarasan comes across as a surprise. He again begins with, 'Adhaan naan inna solrena' "I don't want to take the creative liberty for granted. If I play a gangster and had to sever someone's neck I would do it only if the story requires such violence and not just for the heck of it," he answers.

A few years ago, STR was written off by his colleagues and lacked support when he needed it the most. However, none of them seems to be talking about his success or his punctuality at the shoot. "They won't. But they expect me to stand by them unconditionally. You know what? I will support them no matter what and that is how I am. And for me, let my work do the talking. I am used to this now," he remarks.

There have been several rumours about his upcoming projects and STR says that he is taking it one at a time. "When I sign two or three projects at a time and the schedules get postponed, I am the one taking the flak. I don't want that. Like Vijay anna I want to do one movie at a time though I have listened to a lot of scripts. I could have shot for Corona Kumar and VTK simultaneously. But I chose not to," he clarifies.

He also updates on his dad's health and says that he did what he has to as a son. "That is my responsibility and in fact, all children have to be beside their parents when they need them the most," he concludes.