Sandalwood will soon witness the magical screen presence of acclaimed Tamil actor, director, film producer and writer Parthiban. He is all set to make his debut in Dada is Back, to be directed by Santhosh of Gombegala Love fame.
The 56-year-old actor who has appeared in more than 50 Tamil films and a few Malayalam films, had been keeping his distance from Sandalwood in spite of several offers. He maintains that the language barrier and the wait for a good script made him bid his time.
And the man strongly believes that numbers and age do not matter when it comes to an actor’s debut. “Even though I have completed more than 50 films, I think I have done only 10 good films. So that way, I don’t know whether I should say I am just 10 films old or 50 films old,” Parthiban says.
The actor, who has more than a decade of experience in South Indian cinema, is hoping to find time for the shoot between his other films - a film with Suriya to be directed by Venkat Prabhu and another one with Dhanush to be directed by Vetrimaaran. “Fortunately, my recent directorial film Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam has been declared a hit and I have been bombarded with a lot of opportunities. So when young director Santosh came to me two months ago, I agreed to do his film and I would not like to go back on my word,” he says.
Apparently, Parthiban agreed to do the film as the story appealed to the actor in him. “Santosh came up with a good narration, which is very important. I could also relate myself to the story as a director. I heard from Santosh that there was an earlier film titled Dada which starred Vishnuvardhan. I guess there is a certain charm in the title,” he says.
The director-cum-actor is a great fan of Upendra and respects people who try something new irrespective of the language. “Upendra is one actor and director who has been doing things differently. Ravichandran too is a good friend of mine,” Parthiban says.
For now, he is basking in the success of his directorial venture and is not ready to direct another film soon. “A hit film gives a lot of energy but I will not fall for opportunities. My first film as a director was a hit and till date, the audience compares all my films to that. Now Kathai... has taken me back to my first film,” he adds.