Vivek Prasanna did not exactly steal the thunder from the other more popular names in the well-received Diwali release, Meyaadha Maan. But, the 31-year-old still something of an impression with his portrayal of Vinoth. He, in fact, accedes that his friends have now taken to calling him by that name. “It is the ultimate victory for any artiste,’’ he says.
Vivek says cinematography was his first love. After studying Visual Communication, he went on to act in several short films. He owes his present status to the impact of his debut as a bad guy in Sethupathi. That paved the way for other roles, the biggest of which was as a villain in Vikram Vedha.
The actor says that his most challenging role till day was the one in Meyaadha Maan, which has his first love segment in cinema. He plays the hero’s friend, who is also the reluctant love interest of the said friend’s sister, whom he initially considers as a sister. It wasn’t all straight-forward, as you can see. “I did have some apprehensions about the audience’s reaction, but Rathna Kumar (the director) convinced me that all it takes is one moment for an individual’s feelings to change from platonic affection to love. I was happy to see that the audience bought the love track.”
His beard has become his signature. Will he retain the look in all his films? “There is a bit of sentiment to it, but the truth is, the audience have gotten used to my face with the beard. Also, it goes well with the characters whenever I’m portraying negative characters. But at the end of the day, it’s up to the director. I am game for any look.” With Meyaadha Maan holding its own despite releasing alongside Mersal, Vivek appears to be settled in the industry. He signs off saying he owes it all to Vijay Sethupathy, directors Pushkar-Gayathri, Arun Kumar, Rathna Kumar and his wife, Rajalakshmi.