ACTORS do take a hiatus from bashing up baddies in films. Playing a villain isn’t always looked with revulsion by our image-conscious heroes, who do stray to do negative roles. The concept, however, is anything but new. Earlier, Prasanna attempted it with 'Anjadhey', his performance well received, while Nitin Sathyaa had tried it with 'Satham Podaadhey'.
Most recently, actor Sibiraj has braved to play the villain in the film 'Naanayam'. The movie, based on a bank robbery, has him playing the baddie. Ask him if he believes they will affect his fortunes in the future, and he calmly responds, saying the decision was well thought over. “Yes, I am playing a baddie in the film as I liked the script a lot. I do not see anything wrong in taking such a move,” he says, calling it a clear departure from his previous films 'Lee' or Student No 1. The actor is clearly following his dad Sathyaraj’s way to make a lasting impression as a villain, despite being launched as a hero.
While some heroes take to playing the villains directly, some others take on antihero stories. Interestingly, Superstar Rajinikanth is himself donning both roles of a hero and an antihero in his current film, 'Endhiran', The Robot. Vijay played both protagonist and villain in 'Azhagiya Tamil Magan' in 2007.
Actor Jeevan has an impressive record in this, with his films from 'Thiruttu Payale' to the hugely successful 'Naan Avan Illai', casting him as a hero with negative shades. The most recent to join the bandwagon is Suriya, who is also playing an antihero in his forthcoming film, 'Aadhavan'. “I am playing a baddie, but that doesn’t mean it’s a routine action flick. Finalising the script was an elaborate process. Keeping many considerations in mind, we chose this script after junking two earlier ones,” the actor told Expresso.
A Turn for the good
While many heroes turn villains in films, it is also true that many actors, who entered the industry as villains have become successful heroes later. Actor Kishore, who entered the industry as a baddie with films like 'Polladhavan' and 'Jayam Kondaan', is all set to play protagonist in the movie, 'Porkkalam' now.
The era of Nambiar, who was looked upon as a villain even in real life by movie goers, is clearly gone. Actor Sathyaraj, who is remembered for his despicable roles as a villain, is a hero today, the way Rajinikanth first entered the silver screen as a villain. Rajinikanth got his first break as a hero with 'Bhairavi', and it is said that the film’s director had a hard time convincing producers that Rajini could play a hero.
Prtihviraj, more recently, gained a foothold in the industry as a baddie with 'Kana Kandein', and then turned heroes in films. The actor, interestingly, is playing the antagonist in Maniratnam’s 'Raavana' now. Actor Prakash Raj, despite playing the scornful villain in innumerable movies, has tried his hand at playing one of the protagonists, like in 'Mozhi', or playing an antihero, like in 'Daya'.
sharadha@epmltd.com