Not many actors would risk playing the role of a HIV patient in their very first film. But Aadhi was more than willing to accept the offer!
While the film, 'Mirugam', received mixed response at the box office, his second film 'Eeram' had the audience and critics going gaga over him. Aadhi talks to us about his past, present and future in cinema .
The Tollywood decision
I was born and and brought up in Chennai and I naturally wanted to do a Tamil film first. But when I got an offer for a film that was to be directed by Teja , one of the biggest directors in Telugu, I couldn’t refuse it. It wasn’t my decision; people close to my family wanted me to act in that film.
'Mirugam'
Financially, the film did quite well. None of the distributors I knew incurred a loss. In fact, most of them bought my second film 'Eeram', and are ready to buy my next film 'Ayyanar' as well. Many film critics had good things to say about my acting and the theme of the film. Some of them even praised the film for its realistic characterisation. I am happy it created awareness about the dreaded disease.
The story behind 'Eeram'
Post the mixed response I got for 'Mirugam', I wanted to do a very soft and subtle film. We had a few controversies during the shooting of 'Mirugam' and one of the dailies had carried a photograph of mine without a beard. The director of 'Eeram', Arivazhagan happened to see that photograph and called me for an audition. After that, I had to wait for a month before he zeroed in on me. I was so interested in doing this film that I ignored a couple of other offers in spite of the uncertainty about my presence in 'Eeram'. Thanks to Arivazhagan and Shankar, I finally did the film.
When Shankar saw the film ...
I was very nervous when I first met him. After watching the film, he said that he liked my screen presence. He also had good words to say about my consistency in the film. Even his wife appreciated my acting.
Winds of change
Life after the success of 'Eeram' hasn’t changed much, except for the fact that people recognise me as the 'Eeram' guy. I like meeting people and talking to them. So nothing much has changed.
Learning from my father
I know how much a director works for his product, the creative work that is going into a film. I have learnt how not to tax my directors with creative inputs. I am a director’s actor. I trust my director’s vision and go with it.
Best critic
It has to be my audience. The feedback I get from them is honest and on the face. I realised that when after the release of 'Mirugam', people came up to me and said that they didn’t like the film at all. Even for 'Eeram', a few were of the opinion that Nandha was better than me. I take the negatives and work on them. My brother is my biggest critic; he is very stingy with compliments.
Favourite sport : Cricket
You can spot me : On the road, may be in Parrys. I love walking on busy roads
Lesser-known fact about me: I was a national level baseball player
Being a Star kid
It’s more of a disadvantage than an advantage. Imagine Rajinikanth having a son and he becoming a hero as well. The expectations would be huge. People start expecting big things from them very soon.
Next big step
I'm very happy and proud to do a film with Vasanthabalan. My next release is Ayyanar. It is a suspense thriller with the right commercial elements. I'm just trying to reinvent myself with every film.