He’s had a good debut with Thottal Poo Malarum, but five films later, actor Shakti is yet to find his moment in the sun with a superhit. But with Padam Pesum, he is confident of achieving the success that’s been eluding him. “You’ll see a very different Shakthi in this film. All along, I’ve been playing the sacrificing, good guy. But now I’ve taken up the challenge of playing a negative character,” says Shakthi, who will be seen in a new look in the film.
Shakti is upbeat about the film’s script. “This will be a pathbreaking script. No shades of any other movie can be seen in Padam Pesum. In fact, the film will speak for itself as the title suggests,” he says. Despite being the son of leading director P Vasu, Shakti admits that success was still hard to find. He says, “Sometimes, a director would come and weep, asking to accept his movie. I did two films out of sympathy. Sometimes, the banner would be sound, but not without problems. I was confused whom to trust and what scripts to choose. Finally, not wanting to take risks, I took a break.”
But now, there seems to be a new phase in his life, post marriage. “With Thottal Poo Malarum, I earned fame. But when a superhit eluded me, I was very disturbed. I needed a guide and friend, but all were busy with their own lives. I can take success, but I can’t handle failure. But when I married Smriti, she became my saviour. She boosted my confidence, shared my anxieties, changed my look and took over my wardrobe. Slowly, things began to clear up and I was able to surge ahead with a new-found confidence.”
Padam Pesum is a suspense thriller directed by Raghavan and actor Poorna plays heroine. Shakthi has taken lot of risks for the stunt sequences, choreographed by Rajasekar master, without any dupes.
About 90 per cent of the film is complete and has been shot in Coorg, Hyderabad, Vizag, Kerala and Chennai.
Now, the unit heads up North for a song shoot. The music is by Mani Sharma and the film is simultaneously being made in Tamil and Telugu.