Actor-director Samudrakani, who is busy with his next film Appa, which is now ready to hit screens, is full of gratitude when one congratulates him for having won a National Award.
The actor, who won the Best Supporting Actor for his role as a cop in director Vetrimaran's Visaranai, says he never expected a National Award while working on the film.
"All this credit must go only to God and to my director Vetri Maran. God is great. I thank Vetri for this honour," he declares to the Express without even a moment's hesitation.
"Several people kept telling me that I would win a National Award for this film. But I never thought about it. To me, this comes as a very pleasant surprise," the actor says.
The role played by Samudrakani in the film is a difficult one. He plays a sincere cop who is intent on being true to his profession but who is compelled to go along with corrupt officers in the system. Kani showcases the dilemma an honest cop in a corrupt system faces through his role in the film.
Ask him what the most challenging part while enacting this role was and he says, "The entire role was a challenge. However, we are people who love to work on these challenges." There were risks to be taken. "For one sequence, we had to get into a water body. It was infested with water snakes and I would often have water snakes coil around my legs. I trusted God and went ahead," he says.
The director also remembers ace director K Balachander in his moment of glory. "Had director K Balachander sir been there, he would have been very happy. He was the one who was always saying that I would go places and that I would be recognised at the National level. His words have come true," he signs off.