Atharvaa does not believe in half measures. For his first movie, Bana Kaathadi , he spent three months in the bylanes of Royapuram playing gully cricket with the kids to master the slang peculiar to the locality. For Paradesi , his magnum opus with director Bala, he lived in a forest with the rest of the cast and crew, and internalised the angst and hopelessness of Rasa, who is sold into slavery in a tea estate.
So, when director Ravi Arasu and Atharvaa sat down to discuss the nuances of the sports drama Eetti , produced by National Award winner Vetrimaran, the lead character transformed from a sprinter into a hurdler. “Somehow, that sounded more interesting,” says the actor, who, incidentally, has never attempted hurdles, even at school. “If I’m playing a hurdler, I must look like one,” says Atharvaa, who is paired with Sri Divya in the film. So he trained for three agonising months; his shins took a beating, but it made him a decent hurdler.
Something similar happened for Yuvaraj Bose’s action drama Irumbu Kuthirai , Atharvaa’s first release in 2014. The film is about biker gangs, and playing the actor’s love interest is Priya Anand. “I’d never raced as a kid, though I would have loved to. The few times I raced a bike, it was without anyone knowing at home,” he smiles.
Atharvaa slipped into the project with ease after the high-voltage Paradesi . “I was able to snap out of that zone after some time,” he says. “Acting is just a percentage of what you’ve done; dubbing is what makes a difference. You do it over and over again; the character’s grief and angst intensifies, becomes part of you, but you have to move on,” he explains.
The actor says that four years and as many films in tinsel town later, he is very serious about his craft. “I was flitting through life before Banaa Kaathadi . But once I stood in front of the camera, I realised the responsibility it entailed.” Atharvaa, who grew up in a loving family with actor-father Murali, homemaker mom Shobha and siblings, was forced to become the man of the house within a month of Banaa’s release when Murali passed away suddenly. “I was pushed into adulthood at 21. I was very dependent on my family; my parents did everything for me. After appa’s death, my mom took on both roles; luckily, I am part of the film industry, which is like one big family; it’s a huge support system.”
Despite people telling him he looks like his father, Atharvaa says he cannot compete with his legacy. “I can’t achieve even 10 per cent of what he did. I can never live up to that.”
To prove his mettle, Atharvaa has decided to choose films with a certain spark. “I’ve become more confident after Paradesi . I was initially looking to experiment, but finally opted for fast-paced films. But yes, I have chosen films that have veered off the regular path, and not just for effect; films where novelty is woven into the script.” For instance, Eeti is about a 110-metre hurdler from Thanjavur who comes to Chennai, his life, his loves, and the issues he faces. “I’ve about 10 days of shooting left,” says Atharvaa. He’s simultaneously dubbing for Irumbu Kuthirai , now in post-production. Next up is Kanidhan , a thriller where he plays a man chasing his identity. The film is directed by Santosh and co-stars Catherine Teresa.
After these three, Atharvaa will go into contemplation mode before he trains his eyes on yet another ‘different’ script. “Once I lock a script, I push myself hard, give it my all. That’s how I am,” he says. “There was a time when I was very fat; then I became very thin. I grew fat again. What you see is the new me. I’ve always gone through phases, but I’ve always done everything wholeheartedly.”
