“Is it some kind of a prank?” quizzed actor Sricharan Rangarajan. Paranoid by the reporter’s call, the Yusuf Khan of ‘Payanam’ movie, quickly found out more information about who just called him.
After confirming the reporter’s identity, he arrived in less than 30 minutes and with a toothy grin, sat for a casual chat with a cup of coffee. Sricharan confessed, “I’m a lawyer. So I’m skeptical about everything that comes to me.” Having given a couple of interviews, the actor was comfortable with the questions and began explaining his job profile and the breakthrough into movies.
“Have you watched ‘Muthal Muthal Muthal Varai’ (M3V)? I play the role of an assistant director who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It’s a very eccentric role and I think I have done a good job. If not, I would not have been cast in ‘Payanam’,” he says.
So effective was his portrayal of the terrorist that Sricharan was flooded with messages and calls when Osama Bin Laden was killed. “I got calls from my friends and many anonymous people enquiring about my whereabouts,” he laughs.
In contrast to the nervous but talkative Ranganthan in ‘Payanam’, Sricharan is soft-spoken with a good sense of humour. “I’m generally soft-spoken, but I’m paid to shout in the court,” he grins.
A workaholic that he is, Sricharan finds a balance between law and acting. “When I was shooting for ‘Payanam’, I was working in Singapore as international corporate lawyer. I used to have a clichéd lie that my health is sick or one of my relative is unwell and flew down every fortnight to complete shooting,” he smiles.
And if he is given a choice between law and acting, Sricharan is reluctant to give up both.
Currently waiting for the release of ‘Nootrenbathu’, Sricharan doesn’t want to be stereotyped. “‘Nootrenbathu’ is a completely different genre again. I play the role of an RJ in the US, where I have my hair spiked, dressed in baggy pants, colourful T shirts and accessorized well. It’s more about a Tamilian settled there,” explains the actor.
Being an ardent fan of director Radha Mohan, Sricharan called the director and asked to be cast in his film. “That’s how ‘Payanam’ happened. He recognized me and appreciated my acting in M3V. Later, he asked me to send photographs. Initially, he wasn’t sure if I can bring out Yusuf Khan and only after the makeup test he was convinced,” explains Sricharan.
The actor still remembers his first schedule, which was shot somewhere in Kulu Manali. Little did he know that in his first shot he would be doing nothing but stand wearing a piece of cloth on his body.
“I had to stand with a tiny piece of cloth in front of 20 people. Thank god, I didn’t have any dialogue delivery in the scene,” he quips. Sricharan likes to watch films of actors Raghuvaran and Prakash Raj. About ‘180’?
“Well, I can’t reveal anything much before the release. But director Jayendran is someone who speaks less and knows every actor’s potential. He brings out the right amount of acting out of everyone,” he says.
While they were shooting in the US he seems to have got along very well with his co-star Priya Anand. Is anything cooking between Sricharan and Priya? “Oh God! Nothing, we’re just good friends!”