After Anjala (2015) and Mappillai Singam (2016), Vemel of Vaagai Sooda Vaa (2011) fame, has not had any release. The actor, who has been working on Mannar Vagera for over a year, has moved on to his next project, a thriller directed by debutante filmmaker Dharan. “I think directors have to be open to cast me in different genres,” he says.
A product of Koothu-p-Pattarai, he says the length of a role has never mattered to him but the narration should be exciting. “I have always wanted to become an actor. Now that I have somewhat established myself, I want to do quality films that will make me eager to go on sets,” he says.
He’s confident that Mannar… will hit the jackpot. “It is a commercial entertainer. For a long time, I haven’t had any ‘solid hit’. I am sure, this film will work in my favour,” he adds.
The actor candidly talks about his ‘mistakes’ and admits that he didn’t know to choose ‘good’ projects. He wanted to make money and hence did back-to-back projects. “After a point, I started introspecting where I had gone wrong. When my film flops, I believe it is my mistake. I am learning from it. I realised I need to be more choosy,” he avers.
The Pasanga (2009) fame actor was passionate about theatre initially, and still is! “I wanted to become a hero, but was clueless how to go about it. I did plays eventually and realised it wasn’t as easy as I thought. There I got to learn a few techniques to act,” he shares.
When asked if village-based scripts are his favourite, since most of his films are based on that genre, Vemel smiles, “The films that brought me fame are rural-based. When I did urban-based films, it didn’t go well with the audience. Till this day, I have not understood why. After that, I stuck to my old pattern.” He hasn’t tried anything very different either. “I guess directors feel that I am cut out for small-town roles but I am comfortable with anything.”
After a pause in a reaffirming tone, he continues, “The backbone of commercial Tamil cinema has always been the B and C centres. I am not saying my comfort zone is rural films. But, I look for scripts and content that will appeal to all audience with a special emphasis on small-town audience.”
The actor feels that over the years he has become more committed towards his craft. “Opportunities have always knocked on my door. I rejected many offers. In the due course, I have learned that my performance is more important than anything else. Theatre has taught me this. Gone are the days when I was just an actor. Now, I am much more involved in a project,” he grins.
He doesn’t believe in off-beat movies and prefers ‘tastefully made commercial films’ that appropriately blend a novel plot with masala ingredients. “I am also more inclined towards making family entertainers,” he quickly adds.
What’s next? “I have been listening to scripts, but I want to play a full-fledged villain, which I have never tried so far. I am looking for a perfect script,” he says.
Source: The New Indian Express