Action unlimited

From Chellamae onwards, it’s been a fist fest for Vishal. Nikhil Raghavan catches up with the actor on the eve of Poojai’s Diwali release

October 18, 2014 07:18 pm | Updated December 05, 2021 09:08 am IST

Standing tall: Vishal in Poojai: his second film with Hari

Standing tall: Vishal in Poojai: his second film with Hari

Action films are his forte, but did you know that it was a providential meeting with director Lingusamy almost ten years ago that brought Vishal and action together? The film was Sandakozhi . “I haven’t looked back since. But getting into acting itself was largely due to ‘Action King’ Arjun whom I was assisting in direction. When director Gandhi Krishna suggested a role in Chellamae , it was Arjun who pushed me to try for the role. It was a success and my performance convinced Lingusamy to take me on for the action role in Sandakozhi , originally written for another actor,” recalls Vishal.

Today, a decade later, Vishal is producing Poojai under his own banner Vishal Film Factory and acting in it under the able direction of Hari. “We are coming together after seven years, after Thamirabarani. There’s a lot of expectation from everyone; not only has my confidence level risen considerably, Hari's content and script packaging too are many notches higher than his earlier films. I believe Hari is spending many hours in post-production to give the film a slick touch,” says Vishal.

Unique screenplay

Poojai is the story of a local moneylender with operations in the Gandhipuram marketplace in Coimbatore. “I play Vasu, a ‘kanduvatti’ moneylender. Shruthi plays a girl from the same city. There are three parallel storylines that converge in Patna. There are unlimited fights and chases. Hari’s screenplay is unique. He has developed certain story elements that take place elsewhere but have a bearing on my character, whether knowingly or unknowingly. It’s written in such a way that the viewers will know what’s happening even while the hero is quite oblivious to it,” says Vishal.

From Chellamae to Poojai , it has been an adventurous 10-year journey. In this time, the actor has explored different genres and realised where his strength lies. “Not many actors get to do as many action films and yet sustain audience interest. I have been fortunate to work with directors such as Gandhi Krishna, Lingusamy, Tarun Gopi, Karu Pazhaniappan, Bala and Hari,” he says.

Vishal was itching to do something different, if only to prove that he could. And that's when director Bala offered him the squint-eyed character in Avan Ivan . “I was apprehensive but wanted to give it a shot because it was so challenging. I went through a lot of discomfort but enjoyed every minute. Bala is very meticulous in planning and execution. Avan Ivan led to Pandiya Naadu and Naan Sigappu Manithan . These films have added credibility to my resume; I feel I can tackle any language and genre now,” says a confident Vishal.

More than movies

Vishal has now launched a production company and forayed into other entertainment ventures. “I have taken up Jeeva for distribution, I have formed V Music for marketing our film songs and we are also getting into other areas of entertainment, for instance, musical theatre. Hot Shoe Dance Company's Chicago was produced by us. The idea is to bridge the gap between cinema and theatre, and give theatre artists more opportunities to get into cinema. I am happy that some of my colleagues from Koothu-p-Pattarai like Vemal and Vidharth are doing well in films. There is also abundant talent in English theatre, dance and music that can find avenues in cinema.”

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