‘I MAY NOT HAVE THE LOOKS, BUT I HAVE STAYED TRUE TO MY WORK’

From being a comedian to playing a lead role in a festival release movie and emerging successful from it, actor Sathish is certainly having a cracker of a Pongal this year. In this interview with DT Next, he talks about Naai Sekar, his journey in the industry and his Pongal memories

Naai Sekar is Sathish’s first film in the lead role that released on Thursday and has been receiving positive reviews. The actor is all smiles but maintains a low-profile.”We made good use of the existing situation. Many big films backed off due to curfews and Sunday lockdowns. We knew that we had good content on hand and hence decided to release it for the Pongal weekend. Else, I myself would have booked tickets for Valimai and watched it,” laughs Sathish. Having been one of the most prominent names in Tamil cinema in the last decade, the actor tells us the reason behind choosing Naai Sekar as his debut in a lead role. “Since 2016, I have been offered a few films in the lead role. However, I have turned them down because I didn’t have the confidence in myself to shoulder a movie. There were assistant directors who have told me impressive one-liners and I had to recommend other heroes and I have played the hero’s friend in those films. When it came to Naai Sekar, director Kishore Rajkumar told me that the story revolves around a dog as a central character. So, I believed people’s attention would be on the dog on screen and not completely on me. That’s one less burden. Moreover, Naai Sekar is AGS Entertainment’s immediate film after a huge film like Bigil. I am considering myself lucky for several things-- a director writing a script keeping me in his mind as the obvious choice and a production house like AGS coming forward to produce a film with me in the lead role,” he explains.

Sathish says that he is only stating facts and is not downplaying his success stories. “I am neither talented like Vadivelu nor a good looking person. I am happy that I have sustained myself in this industry for 15 years by staying true to the art. I will continue to do good work that comes my way just like Sathyaraj sir has been doing over the years. He came into the industry as a villain, then became a hero and now a pan-Indian character artiste. His journey has been awe-inspiring and that is the kind of work I want to do,” he opens up. A few years down the line, we tell him that he would be his best friend Sivakarthikeyan’s fierce box-office rival. Sathish immediately jumps out of his seat. “No way! Siva is not an actor, he is a star. Today what I am is because of Sivakarthikeyan. I signed films as a comedian because Sivakarthikeyan became a hero. In fact, he took his time out to listen to Naai Sekar’s script, gave valid inputs and even penned lyrics for Edakku Modakku too. For me, it is matha pitha guru deivam and Sivakarthikeyan in that order. Also, Anirudh is another gem. With several films on his plate, he composed Edakku Modakku in Naai Sekar. He has never done that for any other films in his career. My friendship in the industry has made me what I am today,” says the actor.

Sathish, who is promoting the film, is also gearing up to celebrate Pongal this year. “People have been telling me my daughter Niharika has been my lucky charm. She was born on November 4, 2020 and my film with Superstar, Annaatthe, released on the same day in 2021. Now for Pongal, Naai Sekar has made it memorable for me. But there is another Pongal, which I will never forget. When I was growing up in my town, there was a Vijay film that was scheduled for a Pongal release. Posters were being pasted across the town and I followed the guy sticking posters to see if he is doing the job right because it’s a Vijay film. I disappeared for hours without informing my parents and I casually came back home around lunch. I think you would know what happened next,” he laughs. On a concluding note, Sathish wishes us all a happy Pongal. “I wish you all a happy Pongal and catch a show of Naai Sekar in theatres with proper social distancing and wearing masks,” he remarks.

I will continue to do good work that comes my way just like Sathyaraj sir has been doing over the years. He came into the industry as a villain, then became a hero and now a pan-Indian character artiste