The pursuit of versatility 

When you see Santhosh Prathap onscreen, you half expect him to deliver an uppercut to his co-stars. Such has been the success of his roles in Sarpatta Paramabai and Oh My Kadavule that we associate the actor with such brawny roles. No wonder, his recent roles offer some contrast in his filmography. Whether playing a Chief Minister in Pathu Thala or essaying the role of a brooding and mysterious stranger in Kondraal Paavam, it is clear that Santhosh is pursuing versatility. His latest outing at the theatres, Kazhuvethi Moorkan, also acts as a case in point, as he is seen as the meek and shy Bhoomi, who takes the path of non-violence to achieve justice against systemic oppression. "When Gowtham narrated the script of Kazhuvethi Moorkan to me, I was able to visualise the entire film. I was only hesitant initially about my scope in the film because the film is headlined by another star (Arulnithi). But I realised that Kazhuvethi Moorkan is a character-centric film, and I could not have asked for anything better," says Santhosh.  

Having mostly played macho characters so far, Santhosh shines a light on the process of becoming Bhoomi in Kazhuvethi Moorkan. "Gowtham gave me a lot of input as to how Bhoomi should behave. He used to keep reminding me that I should never, not even subconsciously, lift and fold my veshti. Even in the film, I do that only when I am riding a bike. Similarly, Arulnithi was advised against curling up his moustache," shares the actor, who lists out certain personal notes he had in mind while playing the character. "I didn't want Bhoomi to be just another preachy character. I wanted to ensure that my dialogues felt more lessons inferred from my life, and not just cliched advice. I wanted to make it as live and natural as possible." 

Even though Santhosh has a limited presence in the film, it is his character that acts as the guiding force for Arulnithi's actions. "The core of the story is Bhoomi. If Arulnithi’s Moorkan is the body, then my Bhoomi is the soul," says Santhosh, who asserts that he wasn't really worried about the screentime.

While the screentime didn't bother Santhosh, he faced a novel yet challenging problem while acting in the scene of his demise. Sharing that the 20-minute-long mourning scene was shot twice, Santhosh narrates, "On the first day, we were shooting the last leg of the scene when we were interrupted by the rains. We then re-shot the same scene once again the next day. The heat in Madurai is as much as in Chennai, and I had to lay still while the sun hit my face directly." Delving deeper into the mental psyche of laying still and portraying a dead person, Santhosh says, "I started asking, 'How would it be after death?' In reality, you can never know what happens around you after your death. This is an experience that only films can give you. With my eyes closed, I started observing what was happening around me. The experience was indeed one of a kind." In fact, Santhosh reveals that it was a difficult experience for his parents to watch this scene onscreen. "They requested me not to take up such roles in the future. They couldn’t control their tears." Incidentally, in his last three films — Kondraal Paavam, Pathu Thala, and Kazhuvethi Moorkan — his character passes away. "Someone told me recently that I have been added to the list of actors like Ammu Abhirami and Kalaiyarasan, who are known for portraying characters whose demise moves the story forward," says Santhosh with a hearty laugh.

Considering 2023 has already offered him a handful of interesting characters, the rest of the year seems to be looking bright too for Santhosh, who is awaiting the release of The Road, Pisaasu 2, among others. "My character in The Road, directed by Arun Vaseegaran, is similar to that of Bhoomi. My character is the catalyst for Trisha's inward transformation and conflict resolution in the film. Trisha and I play a pair and there are a lot of cute moments in the film," says Santhosh, who is also starring in Aranmanai 4, an untitled project with Andrea, and a pivotal role in Halitha Shameem's next. "I am also making my Malayalam debut with Rohit VS' Tiki Taka, which stars Wamiqa Gabbi, Asif Ali, and Sanchana Natarajan."

With Pa Ranjith announcing the sequel to Sarpatta Parambarai, will Santhosh's Raman be making a comeback? "As Ranjith sir has not yet completed working on Thangalaan, he is yet to begin work on Sarpatta Parambarai 2. But I do hope I have a part in the sequel," says Santhosh, who believes he has not yet reached a place in cinema where he can shoulder a political message. "Be it in Sarpatta Parambarai or Kazhuvethi Moorkan, I am only reflecting the thoughts and ideologies of the director through my performance," he signs off.