Suriya, who has proven himself as a top actor, has also firmly established himself as a successful producer. He had to go to great lengths to play three challenging roles in his upcoming sci-fi thriller 24, directed by Vikram Kumar. He opens up to City Express about the film and more...
Tell us about Vikram Kumar’s film 24. Does the film have a message? If so, what is it?
Time travel and science fiction are just small tools. How Vikram Kumar, through his intelligence, uses them to take us through a new, different experience is what this film is about. All that he has tried in this film is new and therefore, (the film) will certainly be a pleasant experience. Creating it was far from easy. There is no message per se. There is a goodness in director Vikram Kumar. He is a very positive person who does not like dark things. If you have watched his Telugu film Manam (2014), you will know what I mean. It is all about life. Everybody wants to live life but they also want to live only as young people.
The film asks, ‘What if a particular situation happens? What other things can happen? How will characters react?’ One thing I like about Vikram Kumar is that he has this sense of slapstick humour. This film will not only have anger, fight, and romance, but also a little mystery. The villain will not only be rugged and showcase his strength, but will also come across as intelligent. These small things will make this film special.
We have learnt that there were days when you would play one character in the morning and another in the afternoon while working on this film. How was the experience of shifting characters so rapidly?
“There was a need for it. I actually decided not to do any more double action roles when this story came to me. Vikram Kumar narrated this story to me for over four-and-a-half hours. All of us who listened to the script turned into children as we heard the story. We were
like, ‘Tell us more of this,’ even after four-and-a-half hours! All three characters that I play in this film are different.
Athreya is an author-backed character. You can call him the backbone of the film. He is full of anger and intelligence. Mani is a character in which the director wanted me to have all the charm. This character will be spontaneous. The duration of the third character, Sethuraman, is brief in the film.
The role of Athreya was challenging as the make up for it alone would take almost two hours each time. This was because of transformation and ageing. But I must say I enjoyed playing this role.
Your cast and crew members say that you are a wonderful producer and express a desire to work in projects by your production house...
I experienced such joy while working for AVM productions. The respect they give you at every step of the way is phenomenal. For instance, they won’t negotiate even when discussing the pay package. Be it your film’s release date, or making arrangements for your travel and accommodation, they ensure that everything is done correctly and neatly. Even when they give you your final cheque, they show immense respect. They also write a letter thanking you for your efforts. When you have role models like them, you want to give the same experience to your co-stars and technicians. I also felt that this is the right way.
