January 13th, 2009
By : Sharada Narayanan
Actor Dhanush's confidence as he discusses his latest offering, Padikkadhavan, stems from the familiarity of the genre that he is dabbling in — family entertainer. The actor, given his lanky looks, might not be cop material, as he states self-effacingly, but he has been a hit whenever he has turned to comedy, and his last movie, the superhit Yaaradi Nee Mohini, will only testify it.His sense of timing and casual approach to questions will remind you of any movie of his, in which he has played the happy-golucky youngster, and that is when you understand what he means, when he says, ''I do just my type of films.'' Casual, quick-witted and nonchalant, that's Dhanush for you, both on and off the screen.
''It's the story of a poor-at-studies youngster in a family that's highly educated,'' begins the actor, quickly adding that the story clearly isn't the movie's highlight. ''It's all about screenplay and characterisation, and I'm glad the movie has shaped out to be such a clean entertainer,'' he then explains. He teams up with Tamannaah for the first time in Padikkadhavan, which is directed by Suraaj.
''I had originally wanted the film to be named Padikaadha Medhai but when Padikkadhavan was suggested, we just had to agree. There's nothing to beat this title in terms of reach among the audiences,'' says the actor, often criticised for reusing old titles, the Superstar's, more than often. But, according to the actor, it is often the title that first indicates if the movie will be a hit or not. ''I know if a movie is going to be a hit just with the title it is given. We still go wrong in assessing movies, but a title is always a good thing to indicate how your movie will be,'' he seriously declares, adding that he doesn't intend on having Rajini titles anymore. ''I like a few of his movie titles, but if using them is going to jeopardise my identity as an original actor, I don't want to risk it,'' he says.
Padikkadhavan, Dhanush explains, is a full-length comedy with no unbelievable tricks, 'like the hero getting rich by hardwork in one song, or becoming a highly responsible and educated collector in climax’.
''And when my role in the film was narrated, it seemed so tailor-made for me, that I couldn't say no,'' he then explains.
Does fitting himself into a set of roles which he thinks suits him best, limit his characters? Does Dhanush think he is experimental with roles, I ask. ''Actors earlier had to struggle to find a name for themselves.
For actors like Simbhu and me, it happened instantaneously'' he says, speaking for himself and the actor he is most compared to.
''The competition between Simbhu and me exists. But we are friends constantly speak to each other about each other’s movies. We even discuss the mistakes the other has made, in a healthy way,'' explains the actor.
''In fact, we even let the other know if we've made references to them in our dialogues,'' he signs off, rubbishing reports about serious conflicts between the two.
