ADVERTISEMENT

Proud of my character in 'Super Deluxe', says Samantha

March 22, 2019 11:22 am | Updated November 28, 2021 10:08 am IST

The actor can’t stop raving about her character in Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s upcoming Super Deluxe

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

ADVERTISEMENT

Super Deluxe, Samantha plays Vaembu, a character she’s most excited about.

ADVERTISEMENT

MetroPlus catches up with the actor during the promotions of the film in the city. Excerpts:

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

 

This is a Premium article available exclusively to our subscribers. To read 250+ such premium articles every month
You have exhausted your free article limit.
Please support quality journalism.
You have exhausted your free article limit.
Please support quality journalism.
The Hindu operates by its editorial values to provide you quality journalism.
This is your last free article.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT