Son: Shall we go for a Tamil movie this weekend?
Mom: Yaaru hero da?
Son: Yellam pudhu pasanga — They’re all new
This sort of a conversation plays out almost every Friday in households in Chennai and other cities in Tamil Nadu. The big stars are there — people still adore Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan — but it’s the relative newcomers that light up the big screen every other week.
Clearly, the boy next door has come of age. He’s an actor now. And not just hanging out with a group of friends or wooing girls on the street. He’s a serious actor doing serious things on the big screen and making audiences sit up and take notice. But, he’s also having fun, and making audiences laugh.
Last week saw a small film titled CSK (Charles Shafique Karthiga) hit screens. This thriller — mostly set inside an office complex — featured relative newcomers, who were earlier seen in Inidhu Inidhu and a few other flicks. Sharran Kumar played Charles, the lead character who aspires to become a cricketer. “I could relate to it since I play cricket with all earnestness,” he says, “That helped me to play Charles.”
Sharran’s journey from a BPO worker to an actor is similar to many others today. Some of them hail from film families, most of them don’t. But it’s their natural everyday look that is helping them bag films.
Director Madhumita ought to know. Though she has worked with established actors in the past, the filmmaker has opted to cast newcomer Arjun for her upcoming film Moone Moonu Varthai since she was keen on launching a fresh face. “It was a decision we took because the character I had written called for it. Arjun, who made it at the auditions, has the kind of face that today’s college students will relate to. He could easily be one of them,” she says.
However, that doesn’t mean young actors are taking it easy and playing only roles that come naturally to them. Some are taking up challenging roles and trying something “offbeat” to stay ahead of competition. Take Abhinay Vaddi, for instance. The grandson of legendary actor Gemini Ganesan gave many soft roles a miss and opted for the biopic of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan as his debut vehicle. “Looks wise, I might be the typical boy next door. I’m certainly not that way in terms of thought process,” he says.
That’s exactly why, when this biopic came his way, he grabbed it with both hands. “A lot of big names auditioned for the role, but I was determined to make a mark and so gave it my best,” he says and adds, “Since the time I decided to get into movies, I wanted to keep away from the commercial genre and try something different. When the offer to play Ramanujan came, I saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Any other actor might have rejected it for a debut — it’s not a film that would’ve led them to other big projects.”
It’s the same attitude that Ashok Selvan, who was appreciated for his role in Thegidi recently, has adopted to succeed on the big screen. “Regular isn’t safe anymore. It’s the unusual that gets noticed,” he says.
Ashok has had an interesting past as an actor — having been rejected in many auditions before bagging some interesting scripts. He auditioned for a minor role in Pizza and was rejected, but ended up playing the lead in its sequel Pizza II: Villa ! “It was like life had come a full circle,” he laughs. “My character in that film was serious and sophisticated, and very unlike me.” To balance that, he did Thegidi , where he played a role audiences could relate to. “To stand out in the crowd of youngsters, you have to do something quirky and avoid clichéd roles.”
Ashwin might have entered films with small appearances in Nadunisi Naaygal and 7aum Arivu , but thanks to meaty roles in Mankatha and Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara , his career graph has shot up. Currently, he has his hands full — Zero has shaped up well and he has also signed another film with a new director (Ashok).
“When I entered the industry, Madurai-based subjects were the trend,” he recalls. “I realised that with the way I looked, I wouldn’t fit in well in them. I got a good break, and now, I like choosing movies that deal with subjects not shown before.” Zero , for instance, is a ‘genre film’. “I’m quite excited about it as it is a supernatural thriller romance that stays true to the genre. The narrative is unusual as well,” he says.
Veera is another hero who has been around for a while — he was launched by Gautham Menon a few years ago. But he had to wait for a while before his second film hit the screens. His Rajathanthiram , a heist film, released just a few weeks ago. “Though I always wanted to become an actor, I became an assistant director to learn filmmaking,” he says.
Due to budget constraints, casting newcomers comes as a blessing for producers. As for the audiences, these young actors promise to deliver something innovative. “In recent times, audiences have been disappointed after watching big-star films. Their expectations are high, so they feel let down when an established actor’s film does not match up. Audiences are willing to give youngsters and newcomers a chance, in the hope of watching something fresh,” sums up Madhumita.
