Even though my entry to filmdom was very easy, given that my father Vijaya kumar is a successful actor, and in spite of me having done a dozen films in my 15-year-long career, I feel like I have got what was eluding me for so long only recently after my film 'Malai Malai 'was released. More than an actor, it gave me a platform to prove that I’m commercially salable as well. Now I could clearly see where I was and what I should do. But I think everyone has their own way of making it.
I entered the industry too early in my late teens. When actor Suriya had just passed out of Loyola College, I joined BCom there and I was already an actor. So I did choose roles from what I was offered and I couldn’t do more than that. Even though all my films and my acting were talked about, my career graph seemed stuck. But I never worried as my family was always behind me and I was not in a hurry too. I only concentrated on things that would shape me better because I knew I would make it one day. I learnt martial arts and studied filmmaking in New York Film Institute. I didn’t know if I was going to use them, but I just wanted to be prepared anytime. That’s how actor Vikram could do it; he was ready when director Bala decided to cast him in the film 'Sethu'. Moreover, I hoped that they will let me understand the things better and they did.
Filmmaking course helped me to know how a director would see his actors and what he would want from them. Only in 'Malai Malai', I had the opportunity to decide how I wanted my role to shape up as it was a home production. We designed every little thing and it tasted success as expected. My next 'Maanja Velu' didn’t do so well as 'Malai Malai'. We corrected our mistakes and came up with our next, 'Thadaiyara Thaakka'. Right on the day I listened to the script, I decided to take it up and started my homework. The movie has done well because the script by Magizh Thirumeni is so awesome and we roped in the best in all departments.
I’m always interested in action flicks right from my childhood and I have even suggested ideas to stunt masters that have been accepted. I think action is my forte but I never got a film to prove my capability in it. At a time when Rajinikanth ruled by his style and Kamal Haasan astonished with his acting, Vijayakant paved his own through his action movies. That’s how I want to make my career as well—in my own way.
(Arun Vijay is an actor from Tamil film industry)