‘I have stopped being nervous the day before shoot’

CHENNAI: Dressed in a shirt and a jean with sneakers, actor Prasanna looks dapper as he enters our office premises. His web series Mad Company that premièred in Aha on September 30 is received well by the audience. Directed by Vignesh Vijaykumar and produced by Raja Ramamurthy, the eight-episode series revolves around a startup company that rents out actors. “They can act as your boyfriend or a girlfriend or anyone you need. The story was quite interesting when I heard it because Japan has such a concept where there are people who could come sit and just listen to you for hours. They won’t react or provide solutions. They will be rented out just to hear you. In India, even Bengaluru has such a concept where you can hire a boyfriend or a girlfriend if you are single. Mad Company revolves around a similar concept,” he says.

In the series, Prasanna is seen in various makeovers. “Yes, I play an arrogant, and long-lost actor who is looking to revive his acting career outside the industry. For him, a movie set isn’t the only place to transform himself into an actor. He starts Mad Company and also trains other people to act away from the camera,” he says with a smile. The series has also brought him and actress Kaniha together, 20 years after Five Star. “I am really happy that Mad Company has brought us together. She has always been a good friend. While shooting we were asking ourselves why we haven’t collaborated after Five Star. We still have a Five Star WhatsApp group in which none of us have really spoken about collaborating again,” the actor opens up. The series also has another good friend of his, SP Charan, in the cast. “He is the only person who I call modhalaali (boss) in the industry. He is such a good friend, who also produced Naanayam. Though we don’t have combination scenes in Mad Company, we play a character opposite to each other. There is always this media person who holds a personal grudge against actors no matter how good their work is. That is what his role is in the series,” adds Prasanna.

The actor could pull off any role and convince the audience with ease. Thiruttu Payale 2, Mafia and Thiravam are a few examples. However, he says that he doesn’t think too much about prep for his characters. “Only lately. Earlier, I used to break my head on the day before the shoot on how to go about it, the vibe in the set and the camera angles. I have even been nervous. I realised that such things don’t help me enjoy the process. Of late, I go by the script and what the scene requires. It has also helped me in enjoying the process,” Prasanna says.

The actor says that he has web series and theatrical releases in his kitty. “I have also forayed into Bollywood with a web series. Apart from that, I will be shooting for a feature film from January onwards,” he concludes.