An image makeover is what Bharath would be happy with, inching close to his 25th film with nearly a decade in Kollywood behind him. He's played both the debonair geek and the rustic lad, but believes he needs a break from an overdose of the latter.
“People associate me better with the boy-next-door role, like in Emdan Magan . On the other hand, Kanden Kadhalai got me a lot of female fans. I'm taking a break from the tough guy roles and aiming at the urban milieu,” Bharath told CinemaPlus in an interview on his native soil, Tiruchi. Though he is quick to add, “But the roles are such that they would also appeal to the B and C audiences.”
So, except for his next release Thiruthani , an action flick directed by Perarasu, the other films in the pipeline will have him playing the urbane city-bred chap. Life comes full circle for the young artist with him reprising the role of a rock star in Vaanam , after his debut Boys with Shankar.
Speaking of Shankar, Bharath launches into paeans about his guru. Though a tad disappointed that he is not part of the ensemble of Nanban, Shankar's remake of the Bollywood blockbuster, 3 Idiots , Bharath is optimistic about starring under the director again.
In Vaanam , a remake of the Telugu flick Vedam , the young actor shares screen space with Anushka Shetty and Silambarasan. Mutliple starrers are not new to the hero, who has previously played second fiddle to Vishal, Arya and Siddharth.
“I've never had any ego problems and I love mingling with people. In fact, the young brood of actors in Tamil cinema share a great camaraderie, thanks particularly to Kollywood cricket matches and travelling together.”
Yuvan Yuvathi , his third upcoming flick, will also see him cast in a ‘soft role'. But it is 555 directed by Sasi of Poo fame that Bharath is all gung-ho about.
“I can tell you that that 555 is going to be a career-defining film for me. I play a software engineer in the movie. It is a nuanced performance and I portray different facets of the same character.”
Transition comes easily to the rising star who has revealed various facets while juggling roles from the possessive antagonist of Chellamae , the ace dancer in Four Students , the devoted lover in Kaadhal to the gangster in Pattiyal .
But it's clear that the rising star has his head firmly on his shoulders, “Sometimes I wonder how I've survived for nine years in the industry. Thankfully, my career graph has been slow yet steady and I have tasted both success and failure. That is what keeps me rooted.”
