Villain personified

After Nandha and Naan Mahan Alla, Vinod Kishan is back being villain in Vidiyum Mun
Villain personified

Remember the boy from Nandha? The brooding kid with a scary look in his eyes, out for murder? That brooding kid grew up to play a rapist-murderer in Karthi’s Naan Mahan Alla. And now, Vinod Kishan is back with the Pooja starrer Vidiyum Mun. And yes, he’s playing the villain — with the scary eyes, the heavily arched eyebrows and the angry scowl intact. But as City Express sits down for a chat with the 24-year-old, the angry scowl is replaced with a shy smile. “I love playing the villain. I seem to suit that role!” he says. 

But it’s not all stock villain roles for Vinod. “My role in VM is completely different. I play the villain, yes. But the character is unlike any I’ve played before. It was very challenging, as I had to play the role with a lot of limitations,” he says.

In Vidiyum Mun, Vinod’s character is hot on the heels of Pooja throughout the film — the two never get to meet until the very end. “But it was a lot of fun shooting with Pooja. I actually worked with her only for 10 days for the climax, but she’s amazing,” he adds.

Does the young actor ever get scared of being typecast then? “Actually yes, I was apprehensive in the beginning about being cast in the same role. But even when you are doing negative roles, you need to make sure that you pick roles that vary from each other. That’s how you break the mould,” says Vinod.  Sticking to his aim to break the mould, Vinod also has a positive role coming up in Kaliyugam, where he plays a 21-year-old living in suburban Chennai. “It’s a largely positive role, and sadly, I have no heroine in the film,” he says while cracking another one of his shy smiles.

Maybe it is a retribution to all the women in his earlier films who he has murdered on screen? Vinod just laughs. But he does confide that people still recognise him as the kid from Nandha. “It was more than 10 years ago and I still get people coming up to me and telling me they remember me from Nandha. It’s quite nice.” But he leaves the best part to the end — “Little kids are scared of me! And after Naan Mahan Alla, some women too.”

Now that’s what you call recognition for playing the villain!

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The New Indian Express
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