Sathyaraj: You don't do 250 films by only choosing stories you agree with

According to the directing duo PG Mohan and LR Sundarapandi, their upcoming film Theerkadarishi is a thriller that revolves around a mysterious man who warns the police about crimes in the future. One wonders how Sathyaraj, known for being an outspoken rationalist, chose to play the eponymous character in the film, one who is seemingly beyond the limits of rational perception. The answer to that comes from the veteran actor himself, who quips in his own signature style, “If I only did films I ideologically agreed with, I wouldn’t have crossed ten films in my career.” 

Interestingly, his quip about his career comes at a time when he touches his 45th year in the film industry. With over 250 films, from playing the villain's henchman to the primary antagonist to A-list actors to then becoming a commercial hero, and now to playing wholesome supporting characters recognised all over the country, Sathyaraj has etched himself an ineradicable chapter in the annals of Tamil cinema history. 

Sathyaraj reveals that he knew the co-director Sundarapandi from the days when he was working in Hari’s 2014 film Poojai, in which Sundarapandi was working as an assistant director. But that is not the reason why Sathyaraj decided to collaborate with the director. So after decades of gauging scripts, selecting roles, and choosing films, what was the reason that nudged Sathyaraj to become the Theerkadarishi? The actor answered that question with an interesting anecdote, “I’m currently working on this film called Law and Order and that film's director Magesh Kesavan could not stop talking about this film, Theerkadarishi. That was unusual because he didn’t have to praise someone else’s film, intrigued by this I decided to listen to the script.” The main takeaway from this anecdote is how even after earning his position as an industry veteran, the excitement around a script—not the scale of the production or the cast—was enough for the actor to get interested in a project. 

Talking about his role in the film, Sathyaraj draws parallels to Kamal’s character in Unnaipol Oruvan (2009) and Mammooty’s character in Iyer the Great (1990). “This elusive character keeps calling the police control room and warns them about crimes that are about to happen. Part of the thrill is getting to know if he actually somehow knows the future or if he is just smart at figuring out the crimes or if he is connected to the crimes himself.” We get a rare peek into the actor’s storytelling sense when he dissects the thriller genre and gleans the appeal of films that reveal the crime at the beginning. “There is a certain allure to films that tell you what happens at the end, either a murder or a big crime, and yet draw your curiosity out of revealing to you how it all happens.” He then goes on to point out how this type of storytelling is best used in Nooravathu Naal and most of Alfred Hitchcock’s films. 

According to Sathyaraj, his character Dass, even as he enters into direct conflict with the righteous policemen essayed by Ajmal, Dhusshyanth, and Jaiwanth, is as much a protagonist as the police officers. He recalls how his outlook on films with multiple protagonists changed when he first saw The Dirty Dozen (1967) in his school days. “I was at first a bit annoyed because it didn’t have any heroines,” he laughs before continuing, “but then I was completely blown away by the film. All the characters had equal prominence.” 

Reflecting on 45 years of travel in the film industry, Sathyaraj says, “It all went by just like that,” he smiles. He then goes on to recall a conversation with the legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan, who went through a similar existential musing when both actors worked together in Puthiya Vaanam (1988). “Sivaji sir told me, ‘It feels like I just wrapped up Parasakthi and thirty years have gone by already.’ The actor then shares an interesting thought he had while revisiting his old favourites, “Now when I watch earlier films of Makkal Thilagam (MGR) and Nadigar Thilagam (Sivaji Ganesan), I think to myself, ‘These young men are quite good at acting,’” he laughs before elaborating, “Because you see, Sivaji sir was just 31 when he did Veerapandiya Kattabomman and MGR sir was 48 when he did Enga Veetu Pillai. Even though decades have passed since then, we still see them as they are on screen, they are frozen in time now.” Having crossed nearly half a century in the film industry, in what feels like the blink of an eye to him, it was interesting to hear Sathyaraj note how revisiting old classics, and seeing his idols’ best work captured at an age younger than he is now, made him understand the timelessness of cinema.