"Given a choice, I would have picked Aditha Karikalan's role,"

The audiences who have caught Ponniyin Selvan 2 (PS) in theatres are majorly divided, thanks to the twist in the portrayal of Sendhan Amudhan. While the original novel's lovers are unhappy with the character not getting the throne, fresh audiences have been raving about the film. But, Ashwin Kakumanu, who essays the role in the Mani Ratnam directorial, shares that he made peace with the creator's choice long ago. "Even while filming, I was aware that the final reveal involving Sendhan Amudhan's original identity is omitted from the film, for the sake of an engaging screenplay. End of the day, it is Mani sir's version of the story and I completely respect it."

Ashwin goes on to reveal an interesting scene that he auditioned for, but didn't make it to the final version. "In the audition, I was asked to perform a scene where Sendan Amudhan reveals to Jaya Chitra's Sembiyan Maadevi that he knew that she is his biological mother." About the spotlight moment being omitted from the film adaptation, Ashwin says, "To make Sendhan Amudhan the rightful heir to the throne, the lineages of Sendhan, and Madhurantakan had to be explained. That's a whole story by itself, and it is hard to include the angle in this narrative." Though the Mankatha actor had auditioned for Sendhan Amudhan's role, Aditha Karikalan is his pick. "It's a role filled with a lot of internal conflicts, and it needs to be pulled off with an intricate balance," says Ashwin.

As someone who started his journey as a supporting character, he shares that he has always been aware that the screen time of such roles is dictated by a lot of factors. "I have always heard people telling me that my 'chocolate boy' image will never find me a role in a historic film. Me being a part of Ponniyin Selvan proves them wrong and I see it as a major personal milestone, that reminds me how far I have come in cinema."

Ashwin is one of the rarely fortunate actors who happened to work with the biggest names in the industry during his initial phase. Though he had been part of Gautam Menon, AR Murugadoss and Venkat Prabhu films, working with veteran Mani Ratnam was always his dream. Despite auditioning for Raavanan, Kaatru Veliyidai and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, it took Ashwin 11 years to crack the Mani Ratnam code with Ponniyin Selvan.  "As we all know, Mani Sir is a man of few words. Getting compliments from him for a scene and showing him a short film I directed are my favourite memories from the shoot,” he shares.

He adds that observing Mani Ratnam closely was quite a learning experience. "During the rescue scene of Arulmozhi Varman, I was having Jayam Ravi on my lap and was about to sprinkle water on him. Mani Sir asked me to pause and said 'Would your character do it this way? Think!' I realised that I was using my left hand and it goes against my character who works in the temple. He makes such keen observations and expects perfection in every frame."

Ashwin wishes to be a part of a good film, rather than being the face of an inferior project. "Most of the actors aim to become a mass hero, and they pick larger-than-life roles to aid that. But, I feel that the transition to a commercial hero should be organic and shouldn’t be forced. So, I rejected a lot of mainstream roles that came to me. I am not proud of the few masala films I ended up doing."

He was one of the pioneers to venture into the OTT space way back in 2018. "I did Nila Nila Odi Vaa, quite before the rise of streaming platforms. Back then, people did not even know how to access such content. I have always been inclined towards web series, and am looking forward to working more in that space," he shares.

However, the actor's upcoming projects, Pizza 3 and Thanal are both theatrical releases and he wishes to strike a balance between the mediums. The former film, helmed by Mohan Govind is releasing on May 12. "Pizza 3 will be true to the horror genre and be a worthy addition to the Pizza franchise. In Thanal, I have shares screen with Atharvaa and play a negative role," the actor concludes.