‘I don’t want to be typecast as the romantic hero’
Bangalore-based model-turned-actor Vinay Rai, who was last seen in Endrendrum Punnagai, is a busy man these days. With Sundar C’s Aranmanai, Iruvar Ullam, Aayirathil Iruvar and Serndhu Polama in his kitty, the Unnale Unnale actor says, of late, he has learnt to choose his projects more wisely.
“I want to experiment with different roles and play some challenging ones onscreen, where I get ample scope to perform. And yes, I take enough time before accepting a film,” says Vinay. He quickly adds he doesn’t want to be typecast as a romantic hero. “No, I am certainly not happy with that tag,” he says.
The 36-year-old actor says he has plans to do a full-fledged hero-centric action movie. “I want to be a part of good action films. It’s necessary for action filmmakers to churn out scripts in such a way that they strike the right chord between the story and stunts,” says Vinay.
And ask him if he’s comfortable doing multi-starrer movies, Vinay says he doesn’t mind doing one as long as his role stands out.
Vinay adds that he has no regrets as far as his previous movies are concerned. “I learnt not to take both criticism and appreciation to heart. I’ve relied on hard work than luck. All the movies I have done till date mean something to me. But I have learnt a lot with every film,” he says. Vinay can’t stop talking about Sundar C. “He told me the entire story of Aranmanai in five minutes and I immediately said yes because of the faith I have in him. We shot extensively in Pollachi and I play a middle-class husband in the film. Aranmanai is a lovely family subject, which has been narrated in a typical Sundar C style. He knows the pulse of the audience. Sundar C himself is playing Andrea’s brother and it was wonderful working with Hansika, Santhanam, Andrea, Raai Laxmi, Kovai Sarala and Manobala. It was the best crew I have ever worked with,” says Vinay. In cinematographer G Ramesh’s debut Iruvar Ullam, Vinay plays Karthik. “The plot deals with the cultural ethos of Indians who move to the US. A lot of Indians can connect to the movie well because of the western influence,” he says.
And in Saran’s Aayirathil Iruvar, Vinay will be seen in a double role for the first time. “The director and I are pairing up again after Modhi Vilayadu. I am looking forward to the movie’s release. Though I play dual roles, they aren’t that of a brother or father-son. He has shown me in a different shade,” says Vinay. On the look out for meaty characters and scripts, he wants to do more than romancing heroines. “Every new film of mine is different from my previous ones. I am open to experiment with my looks and characters,” he says. Is marriage on cards? “I am trying to convince my folks that I am happy being single. I need to make something big in the industry, and then I can think of everything else,” he says with a smile.