Santhanam talks in analogies. I notice that very early when he says that for comedians to blossom, they must be given full freedom — “like a circus joker”. His manner of speech is eerily resemblant of Rajinikanth’s — the short stories, the deep metaphors, the worldly-wise undertones… And guess what he reads between shots? Osho. He says, “Our body is like a computer. It needs to be refreshed often.”
I’m quite taken aback, for I’d expected to meet a riotous comedian, not this almost world-weary man sitting. He continues, “If you want something, and you don’t get it, you keep thinking about it. But what if you got everything you wanted? I wanted to become a successful comedian; I did. I wanted to become a hero; I did. I wanted to produce films; I did. I’ve got everything I ever wanted. Where does this wanting stop? It’s spiritual thought that keeps me grounded.”
Perhaps, his serious demeanour is also part of his transformation into a hero. He plays one in the upcoming Inimey Ippadithan (don’t miss the emphatic statement the title makes). This is a film in which Santhanam, apart from cracking jokes, also romances, fights and dances. He found dancing the most difficult. It was important that he got the moves right, the body language right. “I have undergone a lot of training to get everything right in this film. I’m not just talking about the acting, but also about my clothes and hairstyle.” Bam, the statement of a hero. “Earlier, I was happy to wear whatever was available on the sets, even if the clothes were two sizes larger. I now carry a suitcase around.”
He spoke about how he painstakingly educated himself about writing, direction, composing, art direction and choreography over the years.
Then he suddenly poses a question to me. “Who is the one true star of Tamil cinema today?” I tentatively offer, “Rajinikanth?” He shakes his head and says, “Ghosts. Films about ghosts do well. There’s no such thing as a hero today. The story is the hero.” He’s justifying his new role and making a case for how any actor can become a hero. “All my life, I’ve helped heroes get heroines in films. Now, it’s time to help myself.” He is confident about his potential as a hero. He says — and there’s no proper way to say this in English — “ Naan enna maavu nu enakku theriyum. Idhula hero apdingaradha samaikkalaam nu enakku theriyum. ”
I ask if his reinvention is a result of his getting jaded with playing similar roles — mostly, the funny nanbenda of the hero. He agrees that he wants to cut down on such roles. Quickly, however, he mentions that he’d always be available for the people he respects a lot: Arya, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Simbu, director Rajesh and Gautham Menon.
He’s also producing Inimey Ippadithan . “All these years, I’ve been the compartment. I decided that it was time to become the engine. More compartments will join me when they see that I can pull them through.”
He also enjoys the gamble. “Vijay TV offered me a lucrative salary and an enviable designation to make me stay. But I knew it was time to take the gamble and do cinema. Look how it’s paid off.”
Though he made his official debut as a hero in Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham , he views Inimey as the biggie. “That film was a remake. It was like an expensive phone we got, an iPhone maybe? We were just experimenting with the phone cover. But Inimey is like a phone I made. All the parts are ours. If Vallavanukku was an Innova, this is a car we have made ourselves.” See what I meant about the analogies?
He’s helping his long-time associates, writers Murugan and Anand, debut as directors in Inimey . He rejects the idea that he’s helping them grow in the industry, as “it makes me seem too vain. There’s an element of selfishness in this too. Being with them is like a picnic. Work is like fun, and so it should be.”
Inimey , he says, is perfect for him. “What’s the word you guys use? (Thinks) Yes. Tailor-made for me.” It’s also a film that has two heroines. “So, you’ve definitely arrived as a commercial hero,” I joke.
He strikes back with a trademark repartee: “If it’s just one heroine, would it make me only half a commercial hero?”
