Who is a hero?” asks Vishnu Vishal. The quest to find an answer to this question has guided his career so far, and now, following the release of his film, FIR, directed by Manu Anand, Vishnu thinks he has come a long way. He’s happy about the timing of the film’s release, calling it ‘a hero’s redemption’. “I have endured a lot of pain over the past few years. I have suffered betrayals and personal setbacks. Imagine an actor giving a hit like Ratsasan, going on to have as many as nine dropped projects?” Ratsasan, a critically acclaimed thriller, was widely expected to catapult Vishnu into stardom. FIR, he hopes, will bring back the magic. “There’s a dialogue in the trailer that reflects what I sought from this film: ‘I will freaking show them what I am capable of’.”
Vishnu has had his own version of the hero’s journey. The actor’s began when his cricketing career had to be ended after a stress injury. “I always knew I sought fame. I didn’t even prepare myself to be an actor for this reason. I just fell in love with cinema, and took that leap of faith,” he says. Suseenthiraan’s Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu happened after six years of struggle, and Vishnu also got the opportunity to channel the sportsman in him in the sports drama.
“I still remember the first shot Suseinthiran sir took of me. I remember that most of the shots were single-takes because he made us rehearse for over two months for this film,” he reminisces. His first break-out role, however, came in Seenu Ramasamy’s 2012 film, Neerparavai, which turns ten this year. “That film introduced me as an actor to the masses. If Suseenthiran sir taught me the basics of cinema, it was Seenu Ramasamy sir who taught me patience in approaching these basics.”
Vishnu continued his streak of strong, content-driven films with Mundasupatti, Jeeva, and Indru Netru Naalai, and yet, wasn’t exactly a hero for the masses. “I guess a hero also needs to do comedy, dance, and action.” That’s why he opted for commercial entertainers like Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran, Kadha Nayagan, and Silukkuvarupatti Singam. “With each film, I analysed myself and tried to understand my strengths and weaknesses. I was already good at portraying emotional strength, but now, I had to learn other aspects of becoming a hero, like comedy, for instance. I saw these films as testing grounds,” says Vishnu. The confidence he garnered from such work motivated him to do Ratsasan. “The characterisation was detailed, and I had to show what I had. I guess it worked out with the audience.”
Following Ratsasan, the unexpected happened, as he suffered nine dropped films and some personal struggles as well. Among the problems was his much-awaited trilingual Kaadan. “Over forty minutes of my portions were removed from the film without the director even caring to inform me. Had I known this would happen, I would never have signed for the film,” he says. FIR is his attempt to push all the noise into the background. “It’s my first full-blown action-thriller. Now, I feel like a complete actor. I think I am ready to take on any role.”
I point out how this is in contrast to the answer he gave us in a previous conversation when he communicated his eagerness to play subtle characters. “There has been a transformation. In the trailer of the film, you see the protagonist hitting back. This is my first film showing the revolt of the hero; I connect that with my life.”
He is keen to make sure that his struggles don’t affect his performances. “This film, for instance, has a huge star cast, and we shot it across difficult, real locations across the city. I had the responsibility of a producer as well,” says Vishnu, who brims with excitement about what the future has in store. There’s his much-anticipated thriller, Mohandas, in which he plays an anti-hero. “All these thrillers are different. Though Mohandas too has a psychotic streak, the film isn’t a psycho-thriller like Ratsasan. In fact, the character I play is so different that you wouldn’t find any traces of Vishnu in it,” he says.
Vishnu also hints of a bigger collaboration with Telugu star Ravi Teja, who is instrumental in the release of FIR in Telugu. When a photo of the two went viral, speculations ranged from a possible Maanaadu remake to Ravi Teja starring in Ratsasan 2. Vishnu refutes them. “Time for the announcement will come soon after FIR,” he says.
All the ebbs and flows have taught him lessons in mental health. “The first step is to accept that there’s a problem. Only then can you begin looking for a cure. The answer can be anything. It can be a hobby, therapy, medicine, or even a new shoulder to lean on. All you need is the strength to take a step forward. That’s the hallmark of a hero.”