As a psychopath in his first and a con-man in his next, actor Veera impressed the audience with his acting skills. In a chat with Anushree Madhavan, he reminisces about his years in the film industry. It was fame that attracted actor Veera to the film industry. He had no idea what his path would be, yet he went on to win hearts with his two critically acclaimed performances in Nadunisi Naaygal (2011) and Rajathanthiram (2015). During his visit to the city to take part in a conference, Veera said that it was indeed difficult for him to make a place for himself in the industry.
“Initially, I was Kamal sir’s personal assistant before I went on to work with Gautham (Vasudev Menon) sir. I always knew that I wanted to be an actor, but did not know how to pursue it. I took eight to nine years before I got my first film,” he said. Nowadays, people have the option of making short films and later, use that as a launch pad to get into films. Back then, Veera did not have such an opportunity nor a godfather. “Some have fathers or spouses as their god father in the industry and some have friends. I fall in the latter. You do not always need a blood relation to launch you,” he added.
With an empty dream and a blind ambition, he approached director Gautham Vasudev Menon for an opportunity in acting and what he said made Veera realise his true passion for acting. “He said, for me to understand the nuances of acting, I assist him in films first. I worked as an assistant director for films like Vaarnam Aayiram (2008), Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007) and Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya (2010), before I got a chance to act in Nadunisi Naaygal,” he shared.
Menon has been an important influence in Veera’s life. Talking about his mentor he said, “Gautham sir is a democratic person. His life is like his films. He is a lot like his heroes. As assistant directors, we all have messed up several times but he never once lost his cool. If there is someone I want to be like in the next five years, it would be him,” he said. Like many other actors, Veera looks up to Kamal Hassan too. But when working with him, he could never gather his wits to tell the Ulaganayagan his dream of becoming an actor. “I never really knew how to tell him that I aspire to be an actor. To think of being the same profession as he is was unreal. Every time I mustered the courage to tell him, there would be a voice inside me that would tell in Kamal sir’s voice ‘Nee nadigan na naa yaaru?’ (If you are an actor who am I?),” he laughed. But Veera did seek his blessings when he was selected to play the lead in Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikaalam (2009).
Veera is now working on the sequel to Rajathanthiram and also an untitled action-comedy. As an actor, he wants to don another psycho-killer role. “In my first film, I portrayed only one aspects of a psycho killer. There are several more that can be shown. I feel that there is always a bad man in me that desperately wants to come out. There is certain honesty in a villain,” he quipped.
The actor will soon be launching Skate Board Productions, which will be a platform for youngsters to showcase their films.