‘Acting is difficult in a language you don’t know’

Actor Kajol (above) is returning to Tamil cinema after a gap of 20 years with her upcoming film Velai Illa Pattathari 2 aka VIP 2. The actor who made her debut in Tamil cinema with the film Minsaara Kanavu (1997), says she initially considered quitting VIP2 as she finds it challenging to memorise dialogues in the South language.

“Acting is difficult in a language that you don’t understand. It was a tough process for the first two days,” says Kajol. “I saw my scene on paper, and I was like, ‘Okay. You could take somebody else for the film now.’ But Soundarya [director] and Dhanush [co-star] were sweet and kind. They decided to work on me a little more. By the third day, I was willing to finish the rest of the film,” she adds.

She says that it has been an amazing journey working in a

Tamil film after so long. “VIP 2 was a fantastic team. I had a great time and made some great friends. I thank Soundarya and Dhanush for taking the time and trouble to help me and make me look good on screen,” she adds.

VIP 2 is a sequel to the 2014 Tamil film Velai Illa Pattathari (VIP).

The actor noted that cinema, and the manner in which people work, has changed over the past two decades. Change, she says, is important as it helps an actor grow. “Today, we have a [film like] Baahubali, which crossed everybody’s imagination. We have enthralled people from around the world. Change is essential for growth, and we have developed as an industry. We are not talking about one particular state in the country now. That, I think, shows how much we have changed and the kind of exposure we have had,” she says.