Life seems to have come full circle for Ajith Kumar with Mankatha . It may be his 50th film, but the actor is as excited as someone making his debut in cinema. “Yes, I've approached this project with the same interest, energy and passion as I did my first film. After a long while, I was totally focussed on acting. What I mean to say is the production and direction departments of Mankatha were so well-organised that I didn't have to pitch in unlike some of my earlier projects. I was able to do full justice to my role,” says Ajith.
A lot of credit for that should go to director Venkat Prabhu, says Ajith. “He is the finest I've ever worked with. He is meticulous, treats every one on the sets with respect and has full control over all areas of filmmaking.”
Merely doing the most number of films a year doesn't necessarily prove the success of an actor and Ajith believes in this. For him, a good film every few years is satisfying and raises audience expectations. Billa was Ajith's last box office success. That happened in 2007, a year that also saw the release of his two other films — Aalwar and Kireedom — which didn't quite set the screens on fire. Then Aegan and Aasal released, again, not quite the kind of films one would expect from the actor. On the other hand, Billa was stylish and suave, reflecting Ajith in real life, minus the dark deeds of the film's hero.
Choosy about projects
Known to be choosy about his projects, Ajith didn't find any script/director worthy of his attention. In some instances, destiny decided otherwise (read: Gautam Menon, Vishnuvardhan, Bala) and projects didn't click the way he would have liked them to. Unperturbed, he turned his attention to personal and family matters — his daughter Anoushka had just got into kindergarten; he remodelled his house; wife Shalini was happy to have Ajith around the house; he got more time to take care of his parents' health; he could indulge in his favourite pastime of aeromodelling. The list was becoming endless. Till Venkat Prabhu happened and Mankatha sprang up from the director's storyboard.
The film industry is such that heroes, despite their advancing years, yearn to play younger roles. For Ajith, to play a character sporting salt and pepper hair and beard would have required courage. “Actually no. I think, with age comes wisdom. I'm not afraid of appearing as I do in reality and the role in Mankatha called for it. In fact, Vinayak Mahadevan (Ajith's character in Mankatha) is an ordinary man. Money is all he's interested in. What you will get to see is a very, very bad man in Vinayak,” explains Ajith.
Mankatha is all about betting, with the game of cricket forming the backdrop. “In fact, when Venkat narrated the story to me, he said there were five characters in the film, all bad men and one guy who was the worst. I play that character; you can call him protagonist or antagonist. He has in him that villainous streak that would probably make you recoil. After a long time in my career, I thoroughly enjoyed doing this role. Something about the character interested me and I was sure Venkat would do full justice to the way he had conceived it. As for me, I've put in my best and, in the process, understood the value of hard work,” says Ajith.
Now that Mankatha is wrapped up, Ajith has moved on to his next. With Billa 2 happening as a prequel, what can one expect from Ajith? “The very fact that we are making a prequel is unusual. Billa is a brand by now, more like a franchise. A lot of people would like to know where Billa came from. What led him to become Billa? This is a bold attempt and I'm happy that the entire production is in the secure hands of Suresh and captained by an accomplished director Chakri Toleti.”
For most actors, especially those who play hero, the aura of stardom gets stuck to them. At some point, the star takes over and acting becomes of no consequence. It's not so for Ajith, who says, “I'm always an actor and will remain so. The star aura is what is perceived by fans. It doesn't change me or my lifestyle. I am still the same Ajith I was 50 films ago. No doubt, the popularity robs you of your freedom.”
Thala Speak
Philosophy of life:
“Live and let live. I would like to live my life without stepping on other's toes and I expect others to do the same.”
