Ud hayanidhi Stalin normally comes across as a confident person who knows what he brings to the table. But, ahead of the release of the ambitious Nimir , veteran director Priyadarshan’s take on the National Award-winning Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaaram , the excitement is palpable in his voice. “There was this immense pressure to do well, because I was working with two directors {Priyadarshan who helmed the movie, and veteran Mahendran who plays the hero’s father}. Plus, there was the fact that the original had done so well, and starred an actor of Fahadh Faasil’s stature.”
All he had to do, says Udhayanidhi, was follow instructions, “even 70% would do for a scene to turn out well. If I get a good name in this film, all credit will go to Priyan sir.”
The actor, who says his career can be clearly defined as pre- and post- Manithan , says that he now enjoys being part of cinema rooted in reality. “I remember watching the original a long time ago, and it was a performance-oriented character. Once I was signed up for this project, I went to the sets ready to be moulded by Priyan Sir.”
The actor has fond memories of working with director Mahendran, who insisted on calling him “Mr Udhay”. “It amazes me that he’s stayed in touch with cinema all these years. His knowledge is up-to-date, and he would even discuss scenes from my previous films. Working with him is by itself a huge high; imagine having him play my on-screen father!”
There was a time when Udhayanidhi was very camera shy and had to put in extra effort to do well in dance sequences. This film freed him up from that stress, so he could focus on acting. “This is not a film that falls in the four-songs-one-fight format. It is a content-oriented film and demanded a certain seriousness.”
Impressed with what he managed to bring to the table, director Priyadarshan apparently told Udhayanidhi to choose scripts akin to Nimir , because he had a face that people could relate to. “I felt myself grow as a performer, and told Sir that I’d work with him in his next film in whatever role he gave me.”
The film also has Udhayanidhi wearing a veshti for extended periods of time and being barefoot for many days. “Of the 37 days of shoot, I went barefoot for 23 days. We shot action sequences, worked in the heat. It was a challenge, but the team helped greatly. As for the veshti , for the first couple of days, I wore one with a Velcro strap. But, soon enough, Priyan Sir felt ‘something was missing’ and then I went back to tying it the traditional way,” smiles Udhayanidhi.
The one guiding thought, he told himself, was to satisfy the expectations of people who’ve seen, and loved, the original. He felt he passed the test when his fiercest critic, director-wife Kiruthiga, told Priyadarshan that she could only see Selvam on screen, not Udhayanidhi. “And then she told me... you’re now an actor.”
