Sulile Kumar has essayed both hero and anti-hero roles since his debut in 2008 (as a villain in director Tharun Gopi’s Kaalai ). In Kungumum Poovum Konjum Puravum , he donned the role of an anti-hero, while in the 2012 release Padam Paarthu Kadhai Sol , the actor got to play the lead. “During the one-year diploma course in acting that I pursued at Abhinaya Tharanga Theatre School in Bangalore, I was part of several stage and street plays across Karnataka. I’ve learnt dance from master choreographer Jayanthi, and stunts from Action Prakash. These have prepared me well for any kind of big screen role,” says Sulile who is proficient in Hindi, English, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu. “Currently, I am busy with Thagararu , directed by Ganesh Vinayak, in which I play the second lead (Arulnidhi plays the hero), and the main lead in Kandupidi Kandupidi , due for release this year. This role has shades of grey, as my character is schizophrenic in the film.”
Playing meaty roles
Her performance in Aval Peyar Thamizharasi (APT) , where she was introduced under the screen name Nandhagi, established her as an actor of substance in the Tamil film industry. Reverting to her real name Manochithra, she was subsequently signed up for an important role in director Siva’s untitled film for Vijaya Productions, starring Ajith Kumar and Tamannaah. “After APT , I took a break for a couple of years to complete my studies, although, in between I did manage to shoot for Netru Indru opposite Vemal (due for release soon). Meanwhile, I did get offers for a quite a few village-centric roles, but gave them a miss. Then came the Siva film which I accepted because it was an interesting and important role alongside Tamannaah,” says Manochithra, who is currently completing a Malayalam film Pianist opposite Anumohan.
Passion for short films
It was as an Engineering student that Hari Iyer (Hari Hara Subramaniam) developed an interest in making short films. Landing a job as a Graduate Engineer Trainee made it possible for Hari to indulge his passion for filmmaking. “Meanwhile, my brother Sundar Iyer launched Monsoon Studios to help me realise my dream. While he is an editor and colourist, the others in the team are Vigneshwaran (cinematographer and VFX supervisor) and Surya Prasad (music composer). We mastered the techniques of filmmaking on our own. Till date, I have made six short films (three in English), the last being Picture , a 2-minute thriller. Now that Vijay TV has announced a short film competition, I am in the process of making one as my entry,” says Hari, whose strengths lie in story, screenplay and dialogue-writing, besides direction.
Ganesh’s next
A popular line from Vinnai Thandi Varuvaaya , attributed to ‘VTV’ Ganesh is ‘Inga enna solludhu’, which he was often heard telling Simbu when it came to matters of the heart. The line has now become the title of a film featuring Ganesh, Santhanam and Meera Jasmine in the main roles, with Pandiarajan, Swarnamalya and Srinath in supporting roles. Directed by Vincent Selva and filmed by R. D. Rajashekar, work on the film is progressing at a brisk pace with extensive shooting schedules in Chennai and Singapore. As a comedy actor, Ganesh seems to be fast catching up with the hugely popular Santhanam.
