Goli Soda Rising boys Interview: The Boys are back
Popular enough to be recognised by people, but also grounded enough to acknowledge their challenges, Pandi, Udhaya, and Kishore give out a sense of honesty while also constantly poking jokes at each other. Starring in the Disney+Hotstar series Goli Soda Rising by Vijay Milton, Pandi and Kishore reprise their roles of Sithappa and Pulli from Goli Soda, while Udhaya replaces Sree Raam as Saettu.
Excerpts:
How is a streaming release different from a theatrical release?
Udhaya: It is more comfortable. Box office success has become reliant on word-of-mouth, but with streaming, the content is more accessible to people of all ages, making it easier to take to the audience.
Pandi and Kishore, you were barely teens when Pasanga was released, and you were a bit older during Goli Soda. Now, you're in your late twenties. How have you evolved during these years?
Kishore: With Pasanga, we just did what we were told; we didn't have much understanding. Our learning started after Goli Soda when we started being seen as serious actors. Now, we've started to ask questions about our characterisation, art, and screenplay, and this has actually increased the makers' trust in us. There is still a long way to go.
You're playing the same characters after a decade, but things have also changed a lot in these years, including the medium of presentation...
Kishore: For a director, handling a series, as opposed to a film, will be different since a series will have more material to work on. The team guided us to perform accordingly, and we followed suit. So, it was a smooth process.
Udhaya, you play Saettu, who Sree Raam played in Goli Soda. What were the challenges in essaying a role that someone's previously popularised?
Udhaya: It was pretty difficult. Sree Raam had already created an identity for Saettu. I saw Goli Soda 4-5 times and carefully noticed his performance, as well as Saettu's emotions. Sree Raam had his mannerisms, which I have slightly adapted, on top of adding my own spin. I hope I have fulfilled what the character deserves.
Even though Goli Soda revolves around teens, the situations are serious. How did you understand the emotions of the characters back then?
Pandi: We didn't think about it during that age. Especially given we knew each other from Pasanga, we just happily followed the instructions given to us. So, even though the characters might have gone through difficulties, we were blissfully unaware.
What are the pros and cons of growing up on screen and having the limelight on you?
Kishore: We were given an unexpected level of fame at such a young age. However, the following ten years were quite a struggle, with its own ups and downs. Now, we've learnt to separate things on and off-screen. We want to keep the acting only inside the sets; outside, we just want to be ourselves.
Pandi: I think the biggest challenge is that we're known as the Pasanga or the Goli Soda boys. We want to be known beyond these two films. We got a big break at an age when we didn't understand what it meant, and now we want to prove that there is more to us.
Are there people you consider inspirations in the industry, whose career graph you would like to model?
Kishore: I am more fascinated by what actors do outside the camera. I am inspired by how stars like Vijay have a sense of discipline to maintain their physique and how some stars are always learning from one source or another, upskilling constantly to move forward.
There were reports that a lot of improvisation happened on set. How was the process?
Kishore: Udhaya would learn his lines thoroughly, but plans will change on set. We've worked with Vijay Milton before, so we knew what we were in for (laughs). Improvisation happened based on the mood that was created on the day of the shoot, but the important dialogues were retained as they were written.
Finally, how did you approach action scenes?
Pandi: Adi Vaangithaan (laughs).