Very few actors’ on-screen persona feel like an extension of their real-life selves; Sathyaraj is a textbook example of that. The jokes and banter his films are famous for, also seep into interviews with him. When asked on giving back-to-back interviews, a laughing Sathyaraj goes, “I was answering the same questions and after a while, I began looking at our production manager and started singing ‘Innum Ennai Enna Seiya Pogirai’.” But the veteran actor loves talking about films and takes a trip down memory lane along with us to discuss his extensive filmography.
Excerpts from the conversation:
Your favourite actor MGR did ‘Kalai Arasi’ (1963), the first Indian film to feature the concept of aliens and Tamil cinema’s first space film. You have done a fair share of horror films too. But there has always been a dearth of such experimental films in the fantasy genre...
Fantasy films are comparatively more expensive to make and many more aspects come into play. Nowadays, it also involves a lot of CG work and only after receiving the output do we know what the final product looks like. It needs a certain sense of confidence to pull off a fantasy film and that’s probably the reason we have had far and few in between. I feel Weapon will start a trend.
How different are films like ‘Weapon’ compared to the regular ones you have done?
In Weapon, I have done what was expected from me, but I am waiting to see the final version of the film to see how it has panned out. I was impressed with the trailer cut and can’t wait to watch it as one among the audience. Weapon has enough material to have its own cinematic universe, concepts we have only seen in Hollywood. This genre of films also caters to children and they obviously have to be accompanied by parents (laughs). If this turns out to be a franchise, it will become a comfortable space for senior actors like me, akin to Harrison Ford in theIndiana Jones film series.
Sathyaraj and director Guhan Senniappan in a still from ‘Weapon’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
I was pleasantly taken aback by the producer’s conviction with this project. To be honest, I know I’m not a saleable actor to centre a film around me; I’m just a busy character artist. Despite being cosy with the type of roles I have been getting in films with their own lead actors who decide that film’s business, I don’t know what a film featuring me in the lead would be like. I owe it to the producer’s trust.
Is it easy to pre-visualise such a film during the narration stage?
On the very first day of shoot, I was told to prepare for an action sequence and I thought it would be another run-of-the-mill one. But they impressively shot it for a week and that gave me confidence with this film. The usual family dramas that I used to do with Goundamani anna and Manivannan were so discernible that even during the narration stage we knew the segments that would make people laugh, cry or clap. In films like Weapon, we know about it only after seeing the final product and credit has to go to the director’s creativity and producer’s intrepidity.
Back then, someone like P Vasu sir narrating an emotional sequence would reduce me and actors like Prabhu to tears. Filmmakers like Manivannan would have clear-cut ideas or someone like R Sundarrajan would sing while narrating the script, and we knew Ilaiyaraaja would deliver some nice tracks. If that could handle the majority of the heavy lifting, Goundamani’s comedy would take care of another major chunk. I had pillars like them to bank on, but films like Weapon that are mounted around my character make for a new and unbelievable experience.
Where does this understanding and self-awareness of your market stem from?
It’s been 46 years since I got into this industry.... but I don’t think I would make a good example for others. Everyone might get into a new venture with immense confidence, however I do it with uncertainty (laughs). Probably because of that, I’m always relaxed. 47 years ago, before I left for Chennai, my friends would pull my legs asking if I would become like MGR and Sivaji. I just wanted to give it a shot and even if acting didn’t work out, I knew I could become a production manager or something along those lines. A successful venture is good, but I always prepare for the worst-case scenarios.
My initial idea was to get small roles and they got me around Rs 5000 a film, which would probably be the equivalent of a lakh today. I didn’t know I would become a trendsetting villain who would go on to do more than a hundred films as the hero! Ennoda mentality ku idhuve adhigam (this was a lot more than what my mentality deserved). In the mid-2000s, I was struggling as a lead actor and kept getting character roles that offered me five times the salary I got as a hero... but I kept rejecting them. When the ship finally hit land and I was forced to get on the ground, I started getting various character roles that have continued for the last 15 years. There’s so much difference between Baahubali’s Sathyaraj and Love Today’sSathyaraj.
In fact, the same day when Weapon is being released, I also have a Hindi film, Munjya, coming out in which I have done a full-fledged comedy role. I might be well-known in the south, but those from the north know me because of Kattappa which was a serious character; I was surprised they thought of me as a comical character! When I enquired, they said the initial funny portions of Baahubali 2 convinced them.
A year after you turned hero, you had nine films as a lead released in 1987. Why is it a challenge to do so for actors now and where do you see this heading?
The top actors’ films end up taking a lot more days when it comes to the making. Those in the next category get their positions rattled with just one failed film. Things were different when I used to play the hero; my films Makkal En Pakkam and Aalappirandhavan came out on the same day. Aalappirandhavan was an utter flop but Makkal En Pakkam ran for 150 days. The same happened whenKadalora Kavithaigal which ran for 25 weeks and was released alongside Dharmam; not many even know of its existence. So we always had a hit film immediately after a bad one.
Sathyaraj in a still from ‘Weapon’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Your 125th film ‘Villadhi Villain’, which is also your only directorial venture, was a huge hit. Why didn’t you return to the director’s chair again?
As I was busy acting at that stage of my career, I stuck to it. I have made a lot of mistakes in my career and one of them was not continuing to direct. Villadhi Villainwas a hit and if director Sathyaraj had stayed active, he would have retained the saleability of hero Sathyaraj. I don’t know if I can return to direction now; it takes a director like Pradeep Ranganathan who understands the pulse of the new-gen audience to visualise it. Another option would be to create a team but I don’t have the space to do it given my acting commitments.
You commented on the Narendra Modi biopic rumours, and how you’d be interested if directors like Pa Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj or Vetri Maaran took on the project. Speaking of which, what are your future projects and is it true that you are a part of Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s ‘Coolie’?
Being a part of the biopic was fake news and I don’t know how it made the rounds. I guess someone did a collage of both our pictures, found it to look similar and began the rumours with it.
The work of these new-age directors is very welcoming as it’s paramount to show the ground reality as it is. A simple line stressing the importance of education in Asuran had more impact than anything else. As someone from a privileged family, I’ve witnessed the immense growth of labourers’ families across three generations... I saw the manual workers’ next generation become officers and their kin going abroad and becoming doctors. This growth is important for the development of a society.
I was at the audio launch of a film when I was asked if I was a part of Coolie. I declined to comment as the official confirmation had to come from the makers. Then someone from the crowd said that the announcement came out earlier that day. I replied that if the news was out, then I’m happy to accept that I am part of it. I’m not well-versed with social media either and am unaware of the authenticity of posts I see online. The same evening, I got to know that no such official announcements were made.
I have around eight films and a few web series in different stages. It’s already been announced that I’m a part of some of them like Mazhai Pidikatha Manithan and Valli Mayil, as well as web series like Gangs. Apart from three Telugu films and a Hindi one that I’m going to start soon, I have also signed up for three Tamil series. The announcements will soon be made by the makers and I cannot do that; these corporate agreements are big enough to double as a pillow. If I’m someone who does not come to shoots regularly I would be worried about the other clauses, but since I do, I just look at the page that mentions the salary and sign it!
Published - June 05, 2024 05:53 pm IST
