Chetan has worked back-to-back with Pari Elavazaghan in Jama (2024) and now in Anbe Diana, which is releasing in theatres on July 17. With over three decades in the tank, Chetan says he is able to see signs of a great filmmaker in Pari. "Usually, when someone wants to make a city-based film right after a rural film, more often than not, it will look like a wannabe. But I could see Pari's storytelling conviction in both the milieus. This is a mark of someone who will accomplish something big in the future," he begins, as he attributes this to Pari's observational skills. "Pari is a very good observer. His stories and characters are too close to reality. He is a very interesting writer and I am happy to collaborate with him back-to-back."
Chetan, who played a daughter's father in Jama and now a son's father in Anbe Diana, shares that though he isn't particular about playing father characters, he doesn't want to say no when he can do more with those roles. "My roles in Jama and Anbe Diana are opposites. Jama's Thandavam is a regressive and grumpy person filled with envy. Whereas I had some of the best times of my life as an actor shooting for Anbe Diana, as I play a free-spirited father. This is somewhat close to what I am as a person," he says, as he rues not getting too many comic roles. "It is ironical that people don't consider me seriously in a comedy role (laughs). Yeah, of course, you could say Tamizh Padam 2, but there I cannot loosen up, as I am supposed to do everything seriously to evoke laughter from the audience. My Anbe Diana role is something I had waited for. Being a free-spirited father who is supportive of his son's actions, especially in a household with a strict mother, naturally creates a lot of fun moments. Also, two of my upcoming films will have me playing lighter characters."
The actor further says he is learning something consistently in Pari's sets, and those are not necessarily about films or techniques. "In Jama, I was introduced to an art form I wasn't well acquainted with. In Anbe Diana, I was bowled over by shooting in Perambur. It is one thing that you don't see a lot of films set in Perambur, Pari's friends in Perambur did a great job making arrangements for the shoot in ways you would least expect. Their friendship and affection really moved me," he adds, as he concludes, saying that the film is a romantic film with family elements strung together with humour. "Anbe Diana will be a laugh riot, I guarantee you. There are family moments, but nothing too dramatic and serious. The film is a breezy entertainer."
