Though he seems like someone who hardly has any inhibitions – given his RJ and VJ assignments – Balaji Venugopal admits that he had to change quite a bit when his first film Sutta Kadhai was being shot, “I had to shed a lot of inhibitions as I underwent an image makeover, gaining weight to suit the character,” he says. Paired opposite Lakshmi Priya in the film, Balaji plays Ramki, a cop, in the dark comedy. The movie has been shot in Kodaikanal and is set to be released by July end.
“I want to play realistic characters and would love to be called a protagonist rather than a hero,” he says, adding he has been waiting to make a kind of debut that stays with the audience for a long time. His quest for different roles includes a willingness to do negative roles as well. “I have been hosting shows on radio for a decade, and have been watching from the outside. Now, I am one of them,” he says. So does this signal curtains on his radio career? “No chance,” he says, “My bonding (with radio) is emotional and I”ll never leave it.”