Abhimanyu begins our conversation with a wry comment. “The Tamil film industry likes digging into Bollywood for heroines and villains.” One of the many villains we have imported from the North, Abhimanyu may be recalled for his roles as an antagonist in Velayudham and Thalaivaa . His role in the upcoming 10 Enradhukulla is quite similar in character — total evil with little room for compassion. He doesn’t mind that such roles are not a reflection of reality. “It’s commercial cinema, after all, and parallel cinema is able to exist because of it.”
His tryst with south Indian films began with Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakta Charitra , a Hindi-Telugu bilingual in which he played Bukka Reddy to much acclaim. If it weren’t for Varma, Abhimanyu would still be under the assumption that melodrama and overaction summarise all of south Indian cinema. “I’ve watched films such as Aparichit since then and now stand corrected,” he says. Aparichit and Raavan also convinced him of Vikram’s talent. “When I learned that 10 Enradhukulla has him playing the hero, I immediately agreed to be part of it.”
His experiences on the sets with Vikram have been quite illuminating. “I learnt the art of being oblivious to the mayhem of a shooting spot.” He explains that while an actor awaits his turn on the sets, the atmosphere around bustles with activity. Lightmen transport equipment, the cinematographer discusses shots with the director, instructions are yelled, junior artistes talk loudly… in the midst of so much noise and distraction, it can become quite a challenge for an actor to remain in character. “It requires great focus and I’ve learnt the how from Vikram.”
Abhimanyu plays “a sophisticated villain with a lot of violence on his mind” in 10 Enradhukulla . He was initially confused about the identity of the character he plays, as he talks several languages in the film — Tamil, English, Punjabi, and Hindi. An actor who puts significant thought into the mental makeup of characters he plays, he was a bit puzzled about this role. “However, director Vijay Milton told me that we’d discover the character as shooting progressed… and we did.”
The villain’s agenda in this film is not interpersonal rivalry. “He has a mission and will do anything to complete it.” The actor also says it’s a “travel film in a way” and that “the story moves from one place to another”.
Abhimanyu hopes his upcoming Hindi releases will remind south Indian filmmakers that he is as much a character artiste as he is a villain. “I’m playing character roles in my two upcoming Hindi films — Global Baba and Guns of Banaras . Both characters, though with negative shades, portray a lot of vulnerability.” The actor also has a handful of Telugu releases lined up, including Pandaga Chesko , and is clearly more sought after there. He attributes this popularity to Bukka Reddy, the role that made him famous in South India. “The Telugu people seem to have embraced me as one of their own.” Perhaps we would too, if he stopped beating our heroes to a pulp. “I’m being paid to do that, you know,” he laughs, adding, “but who wouldn’t want to play meaty character roles in Tamil cinema?”
