New baddie in tinsel town

Gautam Kurup who won acclaim for his role as a villain in Thupakki is all set to send a shiver down filmgoers’ spine with his new film Puthiya Thiruppangal

Gautam Kurup

A baddie couldn't have got a better deal than this. Imagine shaking a leg in an item number with the beautiful Andrea Jeremiah! The new bad guy in town, Gautam Kurup, was put through his dance paces by director Sarada Ramanathan for her forthcoming film Puthiya Thiruppangal . With his menacing, ruffian looks, Gautam plays a kingpin in this film about child trafficking.

“ Puthiya Thiruppangal , true to its meaning, should have been the turning point in my career, for it was my first Tamil film signed after Kandahar in Malayalam. But, as luck would have it, Thuppaki, my second film was released earlier. Thanks to director Murugadoss who instantly signed me up for the film when we met in Mumbai, I got a lot of recognition for my role as the second villain to Vidyut Jamal,” says Gautam.

It all started way back in 2009 when Gautam had acted in a short Hindi film

Murdering Innocents . “Major Ravi, director of

Kandahar, happened to see it and cast me in his film. I was told that ace cinematographer Madhu Ambat had also seen the film and recommended me to director Sarada Ramanathan. She signed me on even before we met.” Gautam plays a child trafficker in the film. When Gautam heard that Murugadoss was casting for

Thuppaki , he sent in his request and was called to Mumbai for an audition. “I got selected. I was hanging around during a shoot where Vijay was doing his schedule. I had earlier met him in Delhi during the filming of

Nanban, when I was there as part of the unit’s line production agency which I own. Vijay thought I was doing something similar in Mumbai and was pleasantly surprised to know that I was the bad guy he would be encountering the following day on the sets!” exclaims Gautam.

With

Puthiya Thiruppangal hitting the screen this week, Gautam is already onto his next projects. “Word must have got around that a new baddie is in town. Because, I have just been signed up for Super Good Films’ Jilla , as the second villain. Interestingly, my first film was with Mohan Lal in Malayalam and Vijay in Tamil. Now, in Jilla , I will have both for company.”

Gautam has been signed on by director Newton for his forthcoming Marudu which has Rejith as the hero. “It is a love story and as you can expect, I play a negative role. Director-actor J. K. has also confirmed my inclusion in his next venture, Mugan where I play an underworld character. With so much happening, I am quite excited,” smiles Gautam Kurup, who has had to shave off his menacing beard and trim his hair for a more sophisticated, Southie bad boy!