Jest a minute

A firm believer in fate, Vivek says things will happen when they’re meant to.

It’s not easy for comedians to turn heroes even if recent films like Inimey Ippadithan and Eli suggest otherwise. You only need to ask Vivek, whose first film as a solo hero, Solli Adippen , was scheduled for release at least 10 years ago… and still hasn’t released. “Had it released when it was supposed to, I’d have been the first among contemporary comedians to turn hero,” he says. A firm believer in fate, Vivek says things will happen when they’re meant to. When he became an assistant to veteran director K. Balachander, he didn’t want to become a humorist, as he calls himself, but a writer. The transition to a hero must be a very cautious one, according to him. “When Bhagyaraj turned hero, he took care to ensure that the fight scenes weren’t too serious. It was only later that he did serious fight scenes and slowly transformed into a commercial hero.”

Vivek talks about how important it is to give the audience only what they’re ready for. Curiously enough, his last film as a hero, Naan Than Bala , didn’t quite do that. He attributes the film’s lukewarm reception to misplaced expectations. “When Shankar saw the film, one of the first things he told me was to get the audience prepared for a serious film. We tried to do that; we really did.” You can sense the pain in his voice.

All the wiser now, he’s focussing solely on comedy in his upcoming film,

Palakkad Madhavan. In keeping with his style of educating with comedy, the film has a message too. “

Palakkad talks about the importance of taking care of the elderly,” he says, and quickly adds it has nothing to do with

Piku .

In recent years, Vivek has tried to experiment with his style of comedy. “In

Uthamaputhiran , Velaiyilla Pattathari and Yennai Arindhaal, I was a mute spectator to everything. My comedy in Vai Raja Vai was also much appreciated.” There’s a scene in the last-mentioned film that has him wearing sunglasses in an elevator, and when asked about it, he wisecracks that he’s a fan of director Mysskin. Considering he has traditionally parodied actors like M. R. Radha and Sivaji Ganesan, I ask if any of his comedy tracks have landed him in trouble. “Imitation is the best form of flattery; people generally understand that my comedy is not intended to hurt anybody. Occasionally, an actor might take exception, but they should just understand that it is all done in good humour. When I made a joke about Jyotika doing a nallennai ad in a film I acted with her, she didn’t have a problem with it.”

In Palakkad Madhavan , Vivek’s co-star is Sonia Agarwal, admittedly the biggest actress he has been paired with so far. It’s not easy to find actresses for comedians, he laments. “For some reason, the industry views that as a step-down for them.” Despite his initial reservations about Sonia’s problems with Tamil (“Timing is crucial for comedy. I went to the sets knowing it probably wouldn’t be like a comedy scene with Kovai Sarala”), Vivek, to his surprise, discovered that she did quite well with prompting.

He plays a man whose ambition is to earn more than his wife. “As a comedian, I’ve always tried to bring in trendy issues. In

Run , I spoke about sex doctors and fake godmen. In this, I talk about multi-level marketing and the travels business.” He is particularly excited about a comedy track that has him working for a minister as his ‘food taster’.

Palakkad Madhavan , in that sense, seems like a medley of comedy tracks. “Exactly. That’s what the film is.”

All the while, I can’t help but notice Vivek’s ‘salt and pepper’ look, and ask him about it. “It’s for Kashmora , Gokul’s upcoming film; I play Karthi’s dad in it.” His new look makes him appear quite solemn. He laughs. “The role is anything but.”