‘I connected with Star’s story on a personal level’

CHENNAI: Dressed in an off white shirt and with ash on his forehead, Kavin arrives for the interview at a city hotel. He has been the talk of the town ever since the trailer of his upcoming film, Star dropped a few days ago. As the movie is all set to hit the screens on Friday (May 10), Kavin says that he was able to relate himself to the story really well. “This is a story of a guy, who knows nothing but to become a film star someday. Even as Elan narrated the story, I could connect to it on a personal level. Some scenes from the film have an uncanny resemblance to what happened in my life. I even asked Elan if he was in touch with people close to me to write the script. However, I leave it to the audience to judge my performance and how they like the film,” begins Kavin.

The film initially took off with actor Harish Kalyan in lead role and even a few posters went viral. “The first thing I confirmed with Elan, when the story came to me, was whether Harish Kalyan is aware of the development and that things are sorted out. Till date, I genuinely have no idea why Harish walked out of the film but I wanted to be clear if the project came to me after Harish’s approval,” he clarifies. Kavin also tells us that Star was physically demanding for him. “To don a lot of makeovers and to lose and gain weight in 80-90 days was a lot. It was at times taxing for me physically but the effort was totally worth it,” he says.

Divulging on his character in the film, Kavin says, “I play a role called Kalai, who is a wannabe actor. Where the journey takes him and whether or not he becomes a star is what Star is all about.” Does this mean that Star has the potential to have a sequel in the coming years? “That again depends on the audience’s verdict. If they like the movie and set the cash registers ringing, Elan and I could think of coming up with a sequel,” he replies.

There have been several instances where movie buffs have drawn comparisons of his career with that of Sivakarthikeyan’s. Kavin plays it down and adds, “I have always looked up to him. We both come from Tiruchy and he has helped me quite a few times. Even Vijay Sethupathi is someone I have always taken inspiration from. These are people who have succeeded in the industry despite coming from a non-filmy background.”

Kavin’s remuneration has been one of the most discussed things, which ranges between Rs five and seven crore. Opening up on that the actor says, “My previous films decide the salary of my next. It is natural for a person, who moves from one company to another, to ask for a hike. If my film does better, I do ask for a raise in my salary. If they don’t perform well, it would be unfair of me to do so.”