How difficult is it to accept oneself for who they are? For some, it might be a few weeks, months, or years, while for others, it takes a lifetime. For actor Venkat Senguttuvan, it took 20 years of his life to accept his dwarfism. “Initially, I would want everyone to think that I was normal. Later, when I accepted myself, I started confronting people and asked how my height affected them in any way,” he explains.
The up-and-coming actor recently debuted as the protagonist in Mathimaran. Venkat has also lent his performance for the motion capture of the fully CGI alien character in Ayalaan. Venkat, who had previously worked on a few TV shows like the second season of Saravanan Meenatchi, had to scout for opportunities extensively before landing Mathimaran.
Talking about Mathimaran, Venkat says, “In the 35 days of shooting, it felt like I rewinded through 20 years of life. All the events that happened in the film occurred in my life as well. More than appreciation for my acting, a lot of people came and told me that it connected with them.”
In fact, Venkat signed Sivakarthikeyan’s Ayalaan even before Mathimaran, but due to delays, the latter was released first. Elaborating on the extensive process that went behind the VFX-heavy performance in Ayalaan, he says, “I was wearing a blue suit from head to toe embedded with multiple sensors. Remember Kannodu Kanbathellam song from Jeans? It was similar to that where my movements were captured and digitised. The facial expression was captured by another person. We tirelessly reworked each sequence until it met our standards. Each shot was taken at least five times, with me and without me.”
Delving into the details of this motion capture, Venkat says, “Also, a doll resembling the alien was procured from the US to ensure precision in lighting and other technical detailing by DOP Nirav Shah and his team. A chrome ball and a High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI) would capture all the actors in the shot for the same purpose.” The actor further credits the entire crew of the VFX company, PhantomFX, emphasising their collective effort and dedication that breathed life into the alien character voiced by actor Siddharth.
Making an important point, Venkat reveals that it was infuriating to observe actors with dwarfism only being shown in a comical light. “Initially when I used to look at actors like King Kong (Shankar Ezhumalai) and Guinness Pakru (Ajay Kumar), I would be very angry at the kind of roles they did. Such stereotyping was humiliating for people like me but as time passed, I understood the situation they were in and the reason why they took up such roles.”
Despite making attempts to make new inroads in his acting career, Venkat confesses that a lack of confidence often bogged him down. “Even a two-year-old’s words could break my confidence at one point,” he admits. “Every time someone sees me for the first time, they would only look at my appearance. It was only after they got to know me—my skills, my experience—that they began to interact normally. This acceptance and the courage that I gained over the years helped me build my confidence,” he shares. “Now, I have reached a stage where I’m no longer affected by their comments.”
But Venkat stresses the necessity of expressing the feelings and experiences of individuals like himself. “I regret not telling people when I got hurt by their comments. There is a scope for change when we voice our feelings. In Mathimaran, we attempted to amplify this message—to express the discomfort and pain experienced by people in similar situations. Even if one person would view a person like me normally and respectfully, I consider that as a victory,” he signs off on an optimistic note.