‘Cinema is not a bed of roses’

Actor-politician R. Sarathkumar goes down memory lane as he chats about his film career and working for the common man

R. SARATHKUMAR, SOUTH Indian actor, politician and currently, member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Tenkasi constituency, not many years ago faced a career crisis.

He was sidelined in the Tamil film industry, even though he was a popular star, equally at home in solo action movies as well as in powerful supporting roles.

Treated almost like a pariah for reasons that were led more by his political leanings than for anything to do with cinema per se, Sarathkumar was offered a plum role from neighbouring Malayalam cinema. His role as Edachena Kungan in Pazhassi Raja with Mammootty endeared him to Malayalam film audiences. The film was a superhit and he also won a special Jury Award for his power-packed performance.

Sarathkumar’s popularity in Kerala got such a boost that he was quickly signed up for several more movies including Oridathoru Postman, The Metro, Christian Brothers, Veeraputhran and Achante Aanmakkal. By then the tide had changed in Tamil cinema too. The rough patch that lasted from about 2006 to 2010, when Sarathkumar acted in less than five Tamil films, was over, and he was back in favour.

He looks back on the Pazhassi Raja offer as a “blessing in disguise,” adding that “when one door closes, several others open.”

Sarathkumar was recently in Dubai as part of a Gulf tour to amass investor interest for two projects he is passionate about: setting up The New International School in Tenkasi and Doha, Qatar; and establishing a multimillion dollar project for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), as well as a flying school in Tamil Nadu.

Sarathkumar says that while he has gained fame as an actor, he has always been a social worker. He passionately defends the need for the Koodankulam nuclear power plant, which is in the eye of the storm with the public protesting against it citing safety hazards. Sarathkumar says that the protestors have been assured of the safety standards, and he doesn’t understand why they refuse to see the facts. He, however, opposes opening up the retail sector of India to foreign investors, as he feels it will harm the small retailers.

Today, it is hard to differentiate the actor and star from the politician in Sarathkumar because both are now part of the identity of the man, who came to Tamil cinema in negative roles, and graduated to the turf of action hero. The films that brought him fame and stellar success - Suriyan (1992) and Suryavamsam (1997) – are landmark hits in Tamil cinema history.

Although social issues take priority when he talks, if you can steer him into cinema, the actor is back in force. He has a full deck of prestigious movies lined up including Kochadaiyaan, starring Rajnikanth, shot with motion capture technology. Confidentiality clauses do not allow him to talk about the movie, but he says that shooting for Kochadaiyaan was “a fantastic and new experience for all of us. Motion capture technology has many possibilities, and Kochadaiyaan will take Tamil cinema to the next level in film entertainment.”

He is also currently producing and acting in Chennaiyil Oru Naal, the remake of the Malayalam superhit Traffic, and Vidiyal, a film that spans a large canvas from 1947 to the present era. Sarathkumar says that Tamil cinema is witnessing a talent boom now. “It is not only about more youngsters entering the field. The industry now has more room for all possible experimentation.”

“This is the result of the cultural explosion; people are embracing western culture, our lifestyle is changing and this reflects in our cinema. Ultimately, good cinema comes from the subject that our filmmakers choose. The content must resonate with the people,” he adds.

Sarathkumar says that the changes in the overall mindset of the people also help him to defy any image trap although he is active in politics. “People now know the difference between the actor and the man. They are not intimidated if I do negative roles, just because I am in politics. They see cinema and my social and political work as two different aspects.”

But he agrees that there is a certain expectation of him as an actor. “People like to see more action roles from me. Maybe that is the reason Achante Aanmakkal did not do well at the box-office.”

Sarathkumar says there is no substitute for hard work to succeed in films. “Cinema is not a bed of roses. The main thing is to keep focused on your dream and never to deviate from it.”

Bank on it

WHAT HAPPENS IN a bank on an average working day and how it affects the lives of unrelated people is the crux of Banking Hours 10 to 4, which released in Kerala recently.

The Malayalam film is directed by K. Madhu, who has a rich repertoire of hits, and stars Anoop Menon, Meghna Raj, Shankar, Kailash and Jishnu, among others.

Anoop Menon’s career is on an ascent, and while his solo hero films have received lukewarm response at the box office, the association with K. Madhu for a thriller has generated strong audience expectation.

Experimentation: the new flavour

THE SOUTH INDIAN film industry, particularly Tamil cinema, is today witnessing a new wave of experimentation – from the subject matter to treatment. Filmmakers are willing to take on risks and actors push their boundaries not wanting to be caught in image traps.

Quite coincidentally, the industry now witnesses two films with the protagonists playing conjoined twins. The first, actress Priyamani’s Charulatha, a bilingual film in Tamil and Kannada, has already been released, and failed to gain critical response. The official remake of the Thai horror film, Alone, the film is about conjoined twins falling in love with the same person.

The next in line, and much anticipated, is actor Suriya’s Maattraan, also dubbed in Telugu as Brothers. While little is known about the story other than that it is about ‘conjoined twins,’ the film by K.V. Anand has gained tremendous industry buzz. An expensive film shot in Tamil, Maattraan will see the coming together of Anand and Suriya after Aiyan and promises a true visual spectacle, with songs having been shot extensively in the Balkan region as well as in exotic locations in Norway. Composed by Harris Jayaraj, the songs are chart-busters. No matter where the story of the film leads, with Anand at the helm, viewers are assured of glossy visuals, not to mention Suriya’s irresistible charm.