Paradise regained

With Aambala scheduled for release this Pongal, Vishal tells sudhir srinivasan that there’s a lot to be excited about in 2015

January 10, 2015 05:23 pm | Updated January 16, 2015 07:47 pm IST

When the volatility of Tamil cinema left Vishal’s acting career reeling at an all-time low in 2012, you would have understood if he had perhaps opted to take a break. However, the actor, not unlike the characters he plays on screen, has since fought back with renewed vigour to restore his career to its former glory, if not more. Excerpts from a conversation with the easygoing actor:

Though your first film with Sundar C., Madha Gaja Raja , has been plagued by production problems, you have gone ahead to make a second, Aambala , with him.

Working with Sundar is like being on vacation. Even though there are about 12 caravans on the sets, all the leading actors, including myself and Hansika, are always outside. That speaks volumes about the fun we have during the shooting. We’re allowed plenty of freedom, and yet, the work gets done. I like his velai vaangara vidham (the way he gets work done).

How did Aambala get conceived? Did you decide to make a second film with Sundar and then sit with him to create a commercially viable story?

No, no! I’m a traditionalist, and I like a bound script before I agree. I slip into a state of nervousness if the script isn’t ready when we begin shooting. Sundar narrated Aambala ’s script even when we were working on Madha Gaja Raja . I immediately agreed as it’s a very… clean film. It’s a safe family entertainer.

It’s a Sundar C. film. It’s named Aambala . Will I be fairly accurate in guessing that it’ll be a masala entertainer?

Definitely. At the outset, we decided that the film’d release on Pongal, and so, we were clear that it had to be an entertainer. That said, it isn’t as easy to make successful commercial films any more, as people probably imagine.

Some leading directors have faltered recently, haven’t they?

Yes. But solitary failures don’t bother me. For example, I have signed a film, the sequel of Sandakozhi , with Lingusamy, who came under a lot of fire recently. But he’s over those problems, and we were even joking about it recently. So, while it’s not as easy to make commercial films these days, I trust that Sandakozhi ’s sequel will do well.

Is your present focus on commercial films motivated by Avan Ivan , an experimental endeavour for you, not doing as well as you’d hoped?

Avan Ivan got me a good name as an actor, and that’s important. It was only because of Avan Ivan that I landed Pandiya Naadu , and consequently, Naan Sigappu Manithan . I view these films as experimental in their own right. So, no, I don’t quite agree with you there.

Going back to Madha Gaja Raja , are you concerned that the more its release is delayed, the higher its chances of being irrelevant when it releases?

I have reason to believe that the film will be released in the next two months. If it doesn’t, I think it’ll be in irredeemable trouble. While on the subject, let me express my deep anguish at having put so much work into a film that is stuck like this. I request producers not to make films if they have problems that will hinder the film’s release. What’s the point of making it?

Another film of yours, Samar , suffered the same fate too, did it not?

Yes. The year it was supposed to release in, 2012, saw my acting career reach its nadir. It was then that I decided that there was no point banking on other producers, literally, and made an overnight decision to launch my production house, Vishal Film Factory.

You also went ahead and started an audio label.

(Laughs) Yes, all the music companies kept downplaying the industry. “The audio industry is dead,” they declared. I wanted to start my own company and see what the big fuss was about. As I’ve since discovered, the music industry is just fine.

Apart from your upcoming Lingusamy film, you’ve also recently signed one with Suseenthiran. Do you believe you’ve rescued your acting career from the lows of 2012?

That’s what people keep telling me; that I’ve managed to swing it around. I’m also excited about my Telugu film debut that’ll happen later this year with a debut director called Sashikanth. The poor boy (Sashikanth) has been waiting for more than a year, and I’ve been stuck in various films. Now that Poojai has done extremely well in Andhra Pradesh, I’m confident that this is the right time for my foray into Telugu films. I’ll plan it well to ensure that I’m not taking a break from Tamil cinema.

I remember that during a discussion we had years ago, you mentioned that you were keen on turning director. You said you wanted to debut with a superhero film. Still have those dreams?

My superhero film ambitions have been decisively quashed by the failure of two Tamil films that ventured into this genre. You know which ones I’m talking about. I don’t think a superhero film can be made for a couple of years at least. However, my director dream still stands. Every time I’m doing a film with Sundar, Hari or Suseenthiran, I’m not just an actor. I also double up as an assistant director. I haven’t yet decided when I’ll turn director though.

Perhaps that’ll be an overnight decision too?

(Laughs) Knowing me, that’s very likely.

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