In director Balaji Tharaneetharan's recent release, a moment near the climax features goon Dilli (Vishnu Govindan) confronting his master, Baththa (Vijay Sethupathi), regarding his chequered past. In an exclusive conversation with Cinema Express, Vishnu Govindan says that the moment stands out because it is where Dilli realises Baththa is no longer the unruly gangster he once knew. Speaking about it, Vishnu shares, “We spent around three hours practicing that scene in a reading session with the director to understand its purpose, its connection with the rest of the film, and the depth of the dialogue. Over time, the rendering of the scene changed with the addition of new dialogues.”
This collaborative process, says Vishnu, reshaped a pivotal dynamic in the film between Dilli and Kannima (Lijomol Jose). “In the original screenplay, Balaji sir had written it, ‘Dilli weeps to Baththa about his recent personality change,’ and it was Sethu sir who suggested modifying it to his angry response and Kannima's fury.” Praising his co-star's innate talent, Vishnu adds that Vijay Sethupathi is a deeply natural actor with a rare ability to sum up multiple pages of dialogue with just a single expression, which complements his co-actors.
“Dilli can get angry at Baththa and Kannima as they give him the freedom to even enter their bedroom. Elsewhere, Baththa maintains his ‘Gethu' mode as a facade for his vulnerable self,” explains Vishnu Govindan while noting that his sheer immersion into the role brought out authentic emotional responses from the character.
Vishnu Govindan credits presenter Atlee for providing the team with enough freedom to shoot the film with such intricacy and nuance. “We adopted a unique theatre-style approach for this film—a luxury Atlee sir made possible by expanding our shoot from 40 to 70 days.”
Vishnu comes from a theatre background, a format that requires live adaptability over method acting. “I am someone who does not believe in method acting. Good acting is an amalgamation of method and improvised acting,” Vishnu shares while noting that an actor should immerse themselves in roles only to an extent and should know when to press the stop button. “The biggest problem with method acting is that it drains us emotionally and affects us a lot physically. If we take home an evil character from the set and maintain that metre for 30 days straight, for example, it will juice up our hormones,” Vishnu explains before adding that those who have the knack for maintaining that balance can excel in their craft. “If you ask several successful actors to perform on stage, they will struggle. Likewise, several successful theatre artists struggle in front of the camera. Only the very best walk the fine line between both, such as Mohanlal sir. I still have not cracked it, but I am enjoying the pursuit of mastering both worlds.”
This ongoing pursuit ultimately led the actor to Baththa, where playing Dilli offered him a depth and character arc rarely seen in commercial cinema. “Usually, side characters do not have such sequences that complete their arc. The main purpose of the scene is for Baththa to tell Kanima (and the audience) that Sabari is the one who locked him up in the school restroom. However, because Balaji sir is such an excellent writer, he placed the concluding moment for Dilli there.”
Highlighting the screenplay's meticulous detail, Vishnu notes, “For example, Baththa yells at Sabari from the bathroom, ‘You do not know who I am and my contacts. When you let me go, there will be bloodshed.’ Right there, the film establishes the depth of the bond between Baththa and Dilli. Dilli views the situation as a personal failure in his duty as a bodyguard for Baththa, reflecting a deep-seated loyalty between them. He thinks, ‘How could this happen to Baththa Anna under my watch?’”
Vishnu points out that Dilli stands out for his unexpected empathy and moral compass. Despite his external showmanship and propensity for violence, his strong moral compass makes him less susceptible to lapses in judgment. “Dilli is an affable goon with enough empathy to see through people and find goodness inside them. He can separate right and wrong. For example, this is why he spares one of the suspects for the restroom episode,” Vishnu adds. Then, he quips, “‘No goon is born to a goon father and mother.’ Even Baththa wanted to become a singer at one point, but life trauma and experiences forced him to become a gangster.”
Interestingly, director Balaji Tharaneetharan cast Vishnu Govindan in Baththa after being impressed by his performance in the Netflix film Attention Please—a decision that still bemuses the actor. “I play a psycho in Attention Please. My character in it has no empathy or redeeming qualities. I have asked Balaji sir about why he cast me in Baththa, and he merely told me that Attention Please is one of his favourite films,” Vishnu Govindan reveals.
Speaking of Attention Please, the 2022 film's presenter Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy hit theatres alongside Baththa. Vishnu, who also starred in Karthik’s Jigarthanda DoubleX, expressed high admiration for Dorothy. “It is a film that makes a bold political statement,” Vishnu opines. Speaking about the targeted hatred for Karthik's film, the actor adds, “That is the very essence of art, after all. It should comfort the disturbed and disturb those living in a comfort zone. Dorothy is the epitome of that philosophy. It has provoked a transphobic population living in a comfort zone and brought solace to the trans community.”
While delighted about the overwhelming response during theatre visits, Vishnu also shares the disappointment among a section of the audience for the underwhelmingly low box office numbers for the film, just as with Dorothy. The actor attributes it to modern viewing habits and the greater accessibility to entertainment thanks to the proliferation of streaming services. “Viewers are confused about what to watch in theatres and on OTT. Somewhere, the audience feels that they can watch such slice-of-life feel-good films from the comfort of their homes. Only when films offer a grand, eventful spectacle do audiences feel compelled to flock to theatres,” the actor shares before noting that this is exactly what happened to Meiyazhagan, a film to which Baththa has enjoyed much comparison. Nevertheless, Vishnu is quick to note that Baththa still runs in theatres in different parts of the country, including in his homeland Kerala with reasonable occupancy even on weekdays.
At the same time, weighing in on the growing discourse surrounding the film's Oscar potential, Vishnu shares his optimism. “When the film comes on Netflix, I hope that it will be a point of discussion across the globe. With Diwali on the way, I think it will become popular in the North as well, increasing its chances of contending for a Best International Film Oscar,” he shares.
Moving away from the box office and Oscar talk, Vishnu reveals that he constantly watches films, including Indian and international cinema, to understand new methods of acting. “I always consider why a particular scene with a specific actor has worked for me and wonder what I would have done in his place,” Vishnu shares as he circles back to Baththa and the climactic confrontation. “I have considered how Dilli would have reacted to Baththa’s revelation to Kannima about Sabari if he were part of that conversation. I guess he would have been angry, but then again, Baththa Anna would have pacified him, saying Sabari saved his life. It would have made Dilli feel like being caught in a ‘Trishanku’ situation and made him forgive Sabari,” Vishnu shares as he speaks about an alternative ending to his character, while noting that it also has the scope for a spinoff.