When film directors take to acting

Bitten by the acting bug, directors in Tamil cinema are increasingly taking up important roles in films

director ram in savarakathi

It happens only in Kollywood. People who’ve made a name for themselves as directors have turned into busy commercial actors, doing multiple films.

Take the case of Samuthirakani, a successful director ( Naadodigal and Appa fame). Three of his films as an actor are currently running in Tamil Nadu theatres simultaneously — Nimir, Madura Veeran and Yemaali . In all the three, he plays crucial roles. His good friend, Sasikumar — the man who directed the classic Subramaniapuram (2008) — is today a hero with a minimum guarantee. Bharathiraja is better known now for his performances in films like Kurangu Bommai and last Friday’s Padai Veeran , than as a director who changed filmmaking in Tamil cinema in the late 70’s.

And releasing this Friday is

Savarakathi , which has two of Tamil cinema’s pathbreaking directors — Mysskin and Ram — playing lead roles. Interestingly, on the same day, a man who made comedy hits and became an action hero (Sundar C) is back to his roots as a director with the comedy multi-starrer

Kalakalappu 2 . Tamil cinema perhaps has the largest number of directors who have been accepted by audiences as actors. In other languages, directors make only Alfred Hitchcock-type one-scene appearances. Subash Ghai does that in all his Hindi films. Last week, Malayalam directors Jeethu Joseph (

Aadhi ) and Shyamaprasad (

Hey Jude ) were seen in one-scene appearance in their films.

sundar c

But the trend is alive and kicking in Tamil cinema, right from the time of the late LV Prasad, who made a name as a director and an actor. In the 80’s, Bhagyaraj, T Rajendran, Parthiban were directors who made it big as heroes. SJ Suryah, a director-turned-actor, is one of the biggest success stories in Kollywood. KS Ravikumar ,who does cameo appearances, is now doing full-fledged character roles. Thambi Ramaiah, after directing two films, became a successful character actor and comedian and got a national award for best supporting actor in Mynaa (2010). The acting bug has even bitten producers — with names like Manobala, Pyramid Natarajan, T Siva, G Dhananjayan and PL Thenappan — playing character roles.

What draws directors to acting? Most of them became actors because there was nobody to do a particular role that they had in mind. Explains Mysskin, “I believe anybody can act in films. It is the story that matters. The actor who was to do

Nandalala did not turn up, so I was forced to do that role. I was working on the story for three years and was confident that I could it pull it off. My next film as actor,

Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum , happened as nobody was willing to play the bad wolf. My third film is

Savarakathi , directed by my brother GR Adithya, and I play the antagonist who is gunning for Ram.” Mysskin is now busy doing four films for different directors.

mysskin in savarakathi

Sundar C has a different story to share. After doing 15 films, mostly as hero, Sundar has decided to stay behind the camera for Kalakalappu 2 . Sundar says: “I have taken a break from acting to direct Kalakalappu 2 , a multi-starrer that has 10 comedians. I have now decided that I will not act in the films that I direct. I came into the industry as a writer and director and it will remain my first love.”

Trade observers say that this trend has picked up because directors fall in love with the characters they create and feel that they themselves are ideal to play them. And now, even big-hero directors have caught the acting bug and appear in song sequences with their star. It looks like this trend is here to stay.