Vishal has always believed in presenting something new to his audiences in every project of his. Samar , his upcoming film being directed by his friend Thiru, will have something refreshing too.
Says Vishal: “I play a trekker from Ooty in the film. He goes to Bangkok in search of solutions to his problems. I have worked with J. D. Chakravarthy, Manoj Bajpayee and Trisha for the first time in this film. Although Trisha and I have been close friends for the last seven years, we have never had the opportunity to do a film together till now.”
In fact, when long-time pals work on a film, it is the director who has a tough time. “Every time we had a scene, Trisha and I would burst out laughing. We found it difficult to stifle our laughter,” says Vishal, who adds, “Trisha’s character is lovely and crucial to the plot. She plays a hotel employee in Bangkok.”
It is also the first time Vishal has worked with a Bangkok stunt unit. Led by choreographer Lung, the unit seems to have done a fantastic job and the actor is impressed with their work.
“They plan the sequences well and there is no wastage of resources. Safety comes first for them. For instance, in a chase sequence, I had to jump from a building onto a car. I felt reassured and was inspired to do the sequence myself. I thought that even if I fell down and injured myself in the process, it was worth it,” says Vishal, who knows Tae kwon do.
“Three days before every stunt sequence was to be shot, they rehearsed amongst themselves and then did a mock shoot to show us the sequence on tape. If the director wanted to improvise, they changed it accordingly.”
With just one more schedule left, Vishal is now focussing on his next project with director Sundar C, in which he was initially said to be playing three roles.
Clarifies Vishal: “ MGR, which stands for Madha Gaja Raja, started off as a triple action script. However, as the screenplay evolved it took a different turn. Now after improvisation, I have only one role.”
Shooting for MGR is on in Jaipur. Anjali and Varalakshmi play the female leads, while Santhanam, Sadagopan Ramesh and Nitin Sathyaa comprise the supporting cast. Another aspect of interest is the film’s title.
“We have known Lord Vinayaka to be docile and calm. Imagine him in an agitated state. A Gaja Raja in rage — that’s what the title stands for. As Sundar is someone who caters to the family audience, there will be no dearth of comedy in the film in which I play a cable operator from Ooty. I am also glad I will be working with Santhanam after a long time. With these projects and more interesting ones to follow, life couldn’t be better,” says Vishal.
Direction plans
“Every time I decide to direct, I have an interesting role coming my way. I have to do justice to it as an actor. Competition is stiff. I have to be on my toes always. In fact, we actors are getting ballet lessons free of cost. I have to better my performances every time, but I am determined to set aside a time for direction,” says Vishal with a smile.
