Another TV actor makes the leap

In the success story of Brindavanam, the small but significant contribution of actor Senthil cannot by discounted. Playing a character called Varky, the actor was a key cog in the comedy film by director Radha Mohan.

Senthil isn’t surprised that his role was appreciated, as he always knew it was carefully designed to go with the mood of the film. “I had the simple task of following the instructions of the director. Not many are aware that Radha Mohan sir has so much humour in him. He extracted the best out of me. He was the one who convinced me that my face could also express more serious sentiments, and advised me to not restrict myself to comedy.” 

One of the highlights of the movie is when Vivekh (playing himself) gets curious to know how the name Varky was coined. “Radha Mohan’s lines were an instant hit in that scene,” says Senthil, who feels that the winning factor was getting to work with a like-minded team. He says that Vivekh and Arulnidhi went out of their way to ensure he was comfortable during the shoot. “At no point did I feel like I was acting. It was a friendly ambience on location always. In more than one frame, Vivekh let me hog the spotlight. Arul would give me useful tips that helped me be at my natural best. When it was time to pack up after a 35-day shoot in Ooty, everyone’s eyes turned moist.”

Senthil owes a lot to his productive stint on the small screen where he’s made a huge impact. While he continues work on television shows, movie offers have started coming in as well, thanks to the success of Brindavanam. 

The actor says he is indebted to Radha Mohan for giving him a chance in Uppu Karuvadu and now again giving him a boost with Brindavanam. “Encouragement has been pouring in from all quarters in the industry. It will be a honour to be a part of an industry that has ruled by some illustrious names,” he says. 
Remind him that the likes of Santhanam and Sivakarthikeyan, too, came from television before making it big in the film industry, and he smiles. “I hope that the industry is as accepting of me too.”