“I am not sure about the hero part, but I always wanted to become an actor since childhood. As is the case with many aspiring actors, Koothu-P-Pattarai (a famous Tamil theatre group run by N Muthusamy) was the place to hone my skills. In a certain play revolving around AIDS awareness, I played a negative role, which got me noticed by director Prabhu Solomon. Hence, my debut in cinema happened in one of his movies, ‘Laadam’ (2009),” says Vidharth, who had played the lead role in ‘Mynaa’.
“Prabhu also said he would make me play the lead role in a movie produced by him and he kept his word with me playing the lead in ‘Mynaa’ (2010). That movie got me a lot of notice and fame and I owe all the credit to the director.
“I always think I’m lucky to be an actor not because of the name, fame and money the profession fetches you, but for being able to meet so many people, be with them and understand them. I don’t think any other field would have given me access without much effort, considering what I have managed now. Recently, I spent a few days with tribal people when we were hunting locations for my next movie, ‘Kaatumalli’, and their lifestyle was amazing. Their day-to-day life is dependent on the forest and they have no doubt that their lifestyle is superior to others.
“There are people who say that I’m very simple and don’t behave like a typical actor. However, I keep asking as to why I should be different from what I really am. Moreover, I find it restricts me from learning new things. I think unless one keeps oneself updated in the acting profession, he is left out.
“Even though my other two movies — ‘Mudhal Idam’ (2011) and ‘Kollaikaran’ (2012) — didn’t do phenomenally well, I worked the same way how I did for ‘Mynaa’. I really liked the scripts and dedicated myself to the characters. But it doesn’t click all the time. While I think it should happen by itself, I’m an actor who will make all kinds of efforts to be associated with good movies.
“Having been in the industry for some years, I’m really not familiar with actors. I had done a small role in ‘Kuruvi’ and post-‘Mynaa’, actor Vijay had invited me to his home and appreciated my hard work. But I wish there is a forum kind of thing, where actors gather, discuss about their current movies, get ideas and give suggestion to one another. This is common in the theatre scenario and if this happens in cinema as well, I’m sure the industry will reach greater heights.
(Vidharth is an upcoming Tamil actor)