Actor Vikram Prabhu is currently busy promoting his 25th film, Sirai, which is gearing up for release on December 25. In an exclusive conversation with CE for the film, the actor opened up about choosing films like Pulikkuthi Pandi and Ghaati, in which the character he plays dies.
Speaking about M Muthaiah's 2021 film, Pulikkuthi Pandi, the actor said, "When the director narrated Pulikkuthi Pandi to me, he mentioned that something major happens at the 2-hour-and-10-minute mark. He was even hesitant to reveal it at first. Then he told me that my character dies at that point, and the film wraps up in the next few minutes with the revenge portions. After he finished the narration, there was a moment of silence, and I told him that for the climax after my death to feel truly rewarding, the first 2 hours and 10 minutes needed to be written in a way that made the payoff worth it."
While he chose to go for such a role once, his confidence to go for it once again in Anushka Shetty's Ghaati came after the praise he received from Kamal Haasan for pulling off the role. "I later received appreciation from Kamal Haasan sir, who rarely praises actors. For that character, I had completely changed my body language, and it felt validating that he noticed the effort. After hearing his compliment, I honestly didn’t dwell on what it means for a hero to choose a script where he dies. For me, it’s always the story and the conviction behind it that matter, and that’s exactly what convinced me again with Ghaati," he explained.
Sirai, also starring LK Akshay Kumar and Anishma Anilkumar in key roles, is helmed by Suresh Rajakumari. The film has a script penned by the director along with Taanakkaran fame filmmaker Tamizh. Upon its Christmas release, the film will compete with Arun Vijay's Retta Thala at the box office.
