Every time a question is posed to Samantha, she turns to director Thiagarajan Kumararaja. She doesn’t know how much she can reveal about her next film, Super Deluxe , releasing next week. It is among the highly-anticipated films of the year. Starring Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil in lead roles, it marks the return of a director who gave us the cult Aaranya Kaandam eight years ago.
In Super Deluxe, Samantha plays Vaembu, a character she’s most excited about. MetroPlus catches up with the actor during the promotions of the film in the city. Excerpts:
2018 was a good year for you in Tamil. In fact, U Turn and Seema Raja — films so radically different — released on the same day. What drove you to make those choices?
I base my decision on whether I’ll enjoy watching the film with audiences in the theatre. Honestly, it’s just that. It stopped being about calculations a while back. It’s also about the challenges that a project puts forth. If I’m scared of something, I sign it. Something like Super Deluxe .
Everyone’s raving about the trailer. Tell us more about your character, Vaembu.
She’s unique. I got the role after it was turned down by a couple of leading heroines. I was also slightly scared, but I think that was the motivation. But now, I am proud of my decision to play Vaembu, a typical middle-class girl who has just gotten married.
How did your husband (actor Naga Chaitanya) react to the character sketch of Vaembu?
There’s a funny story there. I remember finishing my meeting with Thiagarajan Kumararaja and going back home. Chaitanya was on the treadmill, and I narrated my first scene to him. Taken aback, he stopped and looked at me, and went back to the treadmill. Then, I told him that I will be taking this up, and he stopped and gave me the same taken-aback look.
You’ve said earlier that you had a love-hate relationship with the director of U Turn , Pawan Kumar. How did it work with Thiagarajan Kumararaja?
I look up to him. He’s an evolved soul and like a Zen master. I value his opinions.
For instance?
I spoke to him before signing on the Telugu remake of 96 . He told me: what do you have to lose? It’s not often that characters like Jaanu are written. I’m looking forward to playing her.
What did you like most about Kumararaja’s Aaranya Kaandam ?
Every single frame. It’s one of those films that blows you away. It’s a film that released eight years ago, but can be watched even today. There’s a joke at home: if my husband wants to annoy me, he plays some of my old films, and I get embarrassed and want to hide. But look at Aaranya Kandam — it still enjoys cult status. I want to be a part of such projects that I’m proud of many years later when it plays on television.
When you take up a film that revolves around you (like U Turn ), is the process of acting more difficult than it is in a hero-based film?
I look at it as a challenge.had no songs and the elements you expect from movies.
But right now, I’m doing a film titled
Your next film Majili has a cricket connection. You’re at home in both Chennai and Hyderabad. So, which of the two teams are you rooting for in the IPL?
(Laughs) Fortunately, I don’t follow cricket.
