Second act
South Indian star Amala Paul, who stars in ‘Ratsasan’, out now in the UAE, talks of her love for Tamil cinema as it experiences a renaissance in storytelling. Plus, actor Vishnu Vishal on what drew him to this murder mystery
Vishnu Vishal has played many roles off the screen — a cricketer, an actor, a producer — but he confidently says he can be called a hero ahead of the premiere of his latest psychological thriller Ratsasan in Dubai on Thursday.
“All these years I was refraining from doing such heavy roles. But my performance in Kathanayakan [Hero] gave me lot of confidence, though it failed at the box office. I accepted the name of the movie as for the first time I felt like a hero from that moment. That gave me the confidence to do a movie like Ratsasan,”
Vishal said.
It was a story inside a story as Vishal was destined to play the role in Ratsasan, directed by Ram Kumar.
“While working with Ram in Mundasupatti [2015], I wanted to do another one [film] with [him]. Then I followed it up with Ram, who said the script is getting ready. [After] I came to know the script is ready, I called him again. He told me that the main character is a 40-plus guy, so it might not suit you,” Vishal said. “I felt a little disappointed. After one and half years, Ram came back to me and said no one is doing the film, as the script is a bit dark. Then I heard the script and said your decision is right as I am not a 40-plus character and it is a bit heavy for me. He went back again and changed the storyline and got back to me in 10 days with a new version, which I liked very much. That’s how I got the movie.”
UNIQUE CHARACTER
According to Vishal, who plays Arun in the film, these changes have eventually worked to the advantage of Ratsasan.
“The character is something unique in this movie. It is not that of a regular cop – where the person [is] dreaming from childhood of joining the police force. Actually, he did not want to become a police [officer] but due to circumstances, joins the force. The way he handles the crime is something new and the audience will connect with this character,” the actor said.
Ratsasan has many real-life stories interlaced with the plot. The psycho-killer is based on a real person, according to the makers. The scene where the director is getting shunted by actors, who are refusing to play the part, is exactly what happened in the prelude to the movie. The hero wants to be in a different profession, similar to what Vishal is currently doing.
“I am not from any acting background, nor from any film family. I always wanted to become a cricketer. This just happened. Something very similar to the movie. The character doesn’t know anything about police but becomes a policeman,” he laughs. “After my second and third movie, which did not click, I realised I should not do something that’s too heavy. But after Kathanayakan, I am confident of pulling it off. In the future you can see me in a lot of serious roles. The hero of a movie has a lot of responsibility in the success of the film. Now I am choosing the scripts that gives me plenty of responsibility and intense roles.”
Vishal, like a true sportsman, lays plenty of importance on preparation. Before 2009 drama
Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu he
used to sit under the sun for hours to get a tan. Did he do anything special for Ratsasan?
“This character did not require too much of physical preparations as it is a simple character, but mental preparation was [a lot]. So I felt instead of preparing in advance, it is better to get ready on the spot, especially after the discussion with Ram,” he said.
Vishnu not only became an actor by chance, he also became a producer by chance.
“During Velainu Van-
“I am not from any acting background, nor from any film family. I always wanted to become a cricketer.” VISHNU VISHAL | Actor