For an actor waiting to hear whether he has landed a role, growing a moustache might seem like a small ask. For Krish Hassan, it became an unexpected obstacle. After being considered for Mandaadi, he was asked to return after a week with a moustache. “I went back, but after a week, the moustache still hadn’t grown,” he recalls with a laugh. When he was subsequently told that the team was looking at someone else, Krish refused to give up. "I shot a showreel with local fishermen by the sea and sent it to the team that very night," he reveals. The gamble clearly paid off.
Today, Krish plays Suhas’ son in Mandaadi, Mathimaran Pugazhendhi’s recently released film starring Soori. The role required him to spend months in Thoothukudi, interact with fishermen and train for the film’s demanding boat-racing sequences. Looking back, Krish calls the experience one of the most challenging journeys of his career. He also talks about the lessons he picked up from Soori and Suhas and recalls memorable encounters with Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth and Vijay.
Excerpts:
The film is now playing in theatres. Looking back, what does Mandaadi mean to you?
Mandaadi is genuinely a new world. It is not just a film. People may think it is only about a boat race, but there is much more to it. It is also about the life of fishermen. There is a drama and an emotion behind the race, and there is a story involving two families.
More than anything, I think this is a film that needs to be experienced. Everyone worked extremely hard to bring this film to audiences, and despite all the struggles, the team wanted to make sure it reached IMAX. So I really want people to experience it.
You play Suhas’ son in the film. What was your experience of working with him?
Suhas sir and I developed a very special bond, which I think you can see in the film. He is an extremely kind person. The person you see on screen is very different from who he is in real life. I believe I have developed a certain amount of patience and kindness, and I think a lot of that came from him. He would constantly tell me to be patient.
He also had a language problem while communicating with the local players, so I became his translator. Sometimes I wouldn’t even know how to translate the exact words. He would ask me to explain what they were saying and even told me, “I have to learn Tamil.” I was very happy travelling with him and helping him as a translator. He is an incredibly talented person.
The sea sequences were physically demanding. What was the toughest part of the shoot?
When I first went to the seaside for the shoot, I started spending time with around 20 local fishermen. I would reach there in the morning, talk to them and learn about their livelihoods. When I asked them about sailboat racing, each person would tell me a different story. They would say, “It’s very difficult. We have taken so many hits and gone through so much.” I was a little nervous about performing them for the camera.
Practice was extremely important because you simply cannot get into a boat and stand there without training. You won’t even be able to maintain your balance. The weather also plays a huge role, and there are many techniques and terms that were completely new to me.
The first few weeks were genuinely frightening. I had struggled even to learn swimming, so I was wondering how I was going to manage this. I had also already injured my leg and undergone surgery. But eventually, I managed. We shot in the sea for nearly 70 to 80 days, and almost every day we went into the sea knowing that something could potentially happen. I got hurt quite often. I was hit on my head and also had an L4 disc problem. There were several other issues too.
Soori has also spoken about the physical demands of the film. What did you observe about him during the shoot?
The person who worked the hardest was Soori sir. If you tell him to do something once, he will do it three times. That is the level of his dedication. When he was putting in that much effort, we were automatically pushed to give our best too.
We ended up talking for around half an hour once on set. He shared several personal things with me. He asked me how I got the opportunity to act in the film. I told him that they initially said no to me, but I didn't give up. He said, “You shouldn’t let go of an opportunity like that. You made a video and tried. That’s all life is about. Keep trying. Eventually, something will happen.” That conversation was very inspiring for me.
You have also shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan in Vettaiyan. What remains your biggest takeaway from that experience?
My first scene on the first day was with Amitabh sir. Until then, we had only seen him on screen. I was imagining how I was going to behave when I met him.
I was waiting for him with the dialogues running through my head. Then I heard someone say, “Excuse me.” I looked up and it was Amitabh sir! He simply asked me to move and sat down. Once the performance started, everything happened naturally.
Later, I had a scene where I had to cry and confess something to him. After I performed it, he clapped and said, “Super, super, super.” That was one of the happiest days of my life.
You have met Rajinikanth and Vijay while working on Vettaiyan and Varisu. What did those interactions mean to you?
Whenever I approached Rajini sir, I felt a very positive energy. He is genuinely an incredible performer. His age has absolutely nothing to do with his ability as an actor. I don’t think people outside talk enough about what a good performer he is. What I particularly like is that you can give him a scene and the way he delivers it becomes something completely different. If someone gives Rajini sir a scene, he will perform it in his own style. That is why we would stand near the monitor and simply watch him.
Vijay sir also treated everyone around him equally and was extremely humble. He didn’t have any particular reason to get to know me, but he still took the time to ask about my journey. I showed him the Rolex videos I had made. He told me, “Nice, nice, nice. Keep trying. Keep pushing. The journey is not easy. There will be struggles."
As an up-and-coming actor, what kind of roles are you looking for next?
I don’t believe I can only do negative roles. I can do anything. I have the confidence to take on different kinds of characters. But I feel that I am slowly getting typecast into certain kinds of roles, and I want to break out of that. I want to do more positive roles and characters with different shades. I am listening to some good stories, and there are some good films coming up. Hopefully, I can explore different sides of myself as an actor.