In the Tamil film industry, a comedian, a supporting actor, or a character artist is considered to have gone to 'the next level' only after playing an action hero. Actor Shiva is one of the few actors in the industry right now who is not affected by this belief and keeps doing what he does best. However, the actor disagrees with this notion. "I don't think you have to do a particular genre, like action, in order to become successful. It all boils down to how convincing a story is. That's how my journey has been in the industry. It is the same with Sumo," he says. On why he chose to do Sumo, which is all set to release on April 25, Shiva elaborates, "Isn't it exciting getting to know about a culture and a people this way? I agreed to work on Sumo after listening to the one line of the story, which is, what happens when a sumo wrestler and a local guy cross paths. Our films are popular in Japan. Wouldn't it be exciting if they made a film about Kabaddi and had a Tamil in the star cast? It's the same for us."
Sumo revolves around a sumo wrestler with the IQ of a one-and-a-half-year-old baby who enters the life of Shiva after the latter finds him at a beach shore in India. What happens when Shiva tries to take him back to Japan, and how the sumo wrestler finds his purpose forms the rest of the story. Shiva says that the upcoming film, starring real-life sumo wrestler Yoshinori Tashiro, was challenging in more than one way. "There is this usual language problem when you have a non-Tamil cast member in your film. But the thing that kept us on our toes was the highly punctual attitude of the Japanese. It can never be matched," he says, pointing to the cultural similarities between the Japanese and Tamils, "Also, they are respectful and humble. Right from how we say vanakkam and how hospitable we are to our guests, the Japanese are in no way different from us."
Pointing out that this is the theme of the film, Shiva says, "Sumo is an earnest attempt to unite people beyond borders through common emotions and how similarly we react to several circumstances. The film talks about how love knows no bounds and borders. I feel this message is the need of the hour." He added that he also learnt a lot about the sport of sumo wrestling. "Sumo isn't something we are alien to. But I didn't know how much of a cultural identity it was for Japan. They view the sport as a form of worship and they revere a sumo wrestler. I heard there are ceremonies involving sumo wrestlers in which it is considered good luck for children," he adds.
Shiva believes the delays the film went through will not be a problem upon release. "The biggest advantage of Sumo is its universality and timelessness. I don't feel the release delays will do any harm. Also, personally, I want to remember Sumo as a film that only holds good memories. I had immense joy and fun filming it for 40 days. End of the day, being an actor, there is only so much you can do about your film's release. I really don't focus much on the business end of a film as I don't have a role in it. It's for the producers to take care of, and they know what is right and when is the right time to release," he opines.
Shiva adds he is equally excited about his next with director Ram. "It was so nice to be on the sets of Ram sir's Paranthu Po. I am so happy the film is getting recognised globally. We all know the making and storytelling style of Ram sir. But this will not be as serious as his previous films. Paranthu Po will have a feel-good undercurrent to it. I am very eager for all of you to watch it in theatres," he remarks. On a conclusive note, the actor says, "Sumo is a perfect summer vacation watch. There couldn't be a better time to release the film. Though primarily aimed at entertaining children, there is something for everyone in Sumo. I hope you will all love and support our film," he signs off.