Glad that I’m a responsible producer too: Sivakarthikeyan
Sivakarthikeyan in a freewheeling chat talks about his upcoming film Doctor with Nelson Dilipkumar, things he learnt during the pandemic and introducing new talent to the industry with his production banner Sivakarthikeyan Productions
We meet Sivakarthikeyan at a café in the city and people already started queuing up outside to click a selfie with him. His upcoming film Doctor on October 9, which is a Saturday. Deviating away from the unusual Friday releases, he says, “We believed weekend would be a good bet because we can cash in on the pooja holidays as well as the subsequent weekend. There is no sentiment as such behind it. We thought October 9 would be an ideal date.” The star says that he plays an army doctor in the film that is jointly produced by Sivakarthikeyan Productions and KJR Studios and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. “This time it will be a subtle role with less dialogues for me and more for characters around me. When you watch the film you would realise that it is Sivakarthikeyan in a Nelson Dilipkumar film. There were two scripts about which Nelson had told me. One is Doctor and the other film is a high-budgeted project. We decided to go ahead with this one,” he tells us.
Sivakarthikeyan rejoices on working with his long-time friend Nelson and says, “As you know we both go a long way. We have written scripts sitting in the Marina Beach while we argued on who has written a better copy. I was also his AD in of his films. So, shooting for Doctor was a lot of fun. We had a good time off the shoot and when it came to work we were focused on it as we know we need to deliver for what we set out for.” Despite comedy being his forte initially, the actor has proved his mettle in films like Velaikkaran, Mr Local and Hero. On being accepted in both comical and serious commercial entertainers, he says, “Before agreeing to do a film I analyse if the script would work for me. I make sure I don’t get carried away when I listen to a comedy script. When it came to Doctor, I trusted Nelson completely and agreed to do it. However, for other films, I try to balance it out.” Apart from being a responsible actor who ensures that his films are certified U so that kids enjoy the films too has tapped several talent as a producer. “I am fortunate to be in a stage where I am able to introduce new talent to the industry. I feel it is my responsibility that I am able to give something back to the film industry that has put me on this pedestal,” he adds. He says that lockdown was as busy as a work day for him. “This pandemic taught me to things— I have cut
Before agreeing to do a film I analyse if the script would work for me. I make sure I don’t get carried away when I listen to a comedy script. When it came to Doctor, I trusted Nelson completely and agreed to do it