How do you even deal with actors who don't even bat an eyelid while accepting their Friday failures as just another Monday? In a world where 'out of sight, out of mind' has evolved into 'out of smartphones, out of movie screens,' how can an actor remain nonchalant about starring in just five films after winning the coveted National Award in 2020? But those are the kind of actors that make for great conversations. And ahead of the release of their Sony LIV web series, Kuttram Purindhavan, actors Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli and Vidharth have no qualms admitting that it is futile to be in a rat race when your passion is not running, but thriving in front of the camera. "Why reduce acting to an endeavour to find your next film?" asks Lakshmi, who plays a grieving mother in Kuttram Purindhavan, which revolves around her missing daughter, and a mystery that engulfs her entire identity.
Vidharth, who plays a timid cop in the series, is reuniting with his Payanigal Gavanikkavum co-star, although they don't have many scenes together. In fact, he plays second fiddle for a long time in the series, which is headlined by Pasupathy. Of course, his character gets its prominence, but Vidharth isn't worried about screentime or ego clashes, especially since Pasupathy and he come from the same school of drama, Koothu-p-pattarai. "As an actor, isn't playing a lot of characters the fascinating aspect? I can live many lives. I can take many forms. I can live lives that are completely distinct from my own. Each character allows me to live a new life, and why would I want to restrict myself by only living one kind of life?" asks a pensive Vidharth, who does understand that success determines a lot of things in cinema, but personal choice determines peace of mind. "I know people ask why I don't do 'x' type of roles or why I relegate myself to 'y' type of roles. I am an actor who goes with the flow, and the moment, I think I have figured out everything, I'd stop doing films."
Echoing this sentiment, Lakshmi Priyaa believes that one can qualify the love for acting, but why quantify it by accepting something just for the sake of being present in public memory, thereby having the industry notice their pedigree? "See, I love to act. Be it on the stage, or for a short film, or an OTT series, or commercial cinema, or even festival films... it is all about acting, right? If I like a character, and it gives me the space to explore, I'd take it up. If nothing is coming my way, I'd look for avenues that will help me hone my skillset. The passion for acting is different from the pursuit of films," points out Lakshmi Priyaa, who is also very clear about how she mustn't accept films for the sake of doing it. Adding to her points, a candid Vidharth says, "If you start doing things to cater to other people's views, you'd lose a sense of what you are. Living by this mantra is probably why successes and failures don't get to my head. I know there have been more failures than successes, but it is what it is."
It is not often that conversations gradually veer into the purpose of an actor, the philosophy of acting, and the passion of the art. But when two trained actors, who have made 'high-quality and talented' as their labels, talk about stepping into new avenues and not letting formats define them, it feels wonderful. "Even for Kuttram Purindhavan, I had a lot of to-and-fro with the director Selvamani because the series deals with something really sensitive, and I didn't want to be part of anything that is even remotely sensationalising this topic," says Lakshmi Priyaa, who admits that for the longest time in the series, she has very little to do, and is shown walking on the sidelines with droopy shoulders, sunken eyes, and a tear-dried face. "In fact, I had to discuss and reduce the crying scenes, and tell him that I'd give him something else to show my character being weary and depressed. But I had to do this series because it felt like an unputdownable book. It had enough twists and turns, and each character loop was closed beautifully," says the Sivaranjiniyum Sila Pengalum actor, who understands that the series might not have space for an elaborate sketching of her character, but she needs to know every beat of the character in her head. "I asked a lot of questions!"
Being curious is an important facet of acting, and Vidharth, through his recent films, is also asking a lot of questions to society. Be it Kuttram Purindhavan, Payanigal Gavanikkavum, Irugapatru, and Anjaamai, his films have just the right nuggets of social messaging. While the impact is debatable, the actor is trying to be part of stories that are not aiming to make him a superstar, but ones that feel relatable. "Whatever I learnt is from my guru Muthusamy. From reading books to studying people, everything was taken from my time spent under his tutelage," says Vidharth, who believes that another form of curiosity that seems to feed not just an actor, but anyone in society is social media. "There is hurt and hate around every corner in social media. You can be affected even by the negativity that isn't aimed at you. If you are easily affected, stay away. If you can just be a traveller who explores the sights and returns home, go for it," signs off Vidharth.
