Gautham Menon didn't interfere even at the scripting level

Acting was more of an accident for me,' says Premsai, who began his career as a TV artiste years ago. Now, the actor is all set for the release of his first full-length feature film, and directorial venture, Tamilselvanum Thaniyar Anjalum, which has Jai and Yami Gautam playing the leads.
Ask him about his early days, and he says, 'I still remember my first photoshoot.It was taken by a girl, and her first comment about me was, 'You don't even know how to smile'. I lost all hope of becoming an actor, but still, I began to concentrate on my work. Luckily, Rajiv Menon called me for an ad shoot and from then on, my journey as a television actor began.'
He adds, 'That was when the concept of weekly soaps was gaining popularity on TV. All top directors in the industry, including K Balachander, Balu Mahendra and SP Muthuraman, had started to direct soaps. I made my debut as an actor in Muthuraman's weekly serial in which I played the role of an old man. Since not many recognised me, in his next soap, he gave me the role of a cop. Only after that did I start getting opportunities in TV ' both, from the Tamil and Telugu industries. That's when I decided to quit my job and concentrate on TV.'
Having won two awards and garnering recognition as a TV star, why did he choose to become a movie director, now? 'After working with stalwarts, I began to concentrate on direction, and other behind-the-scene things involved in filmmaking. I also started writing a lot. But then, I felt that television was not my medium. I wanted to come out of that comfort zone, and that is when I quit TV. I was not financially comfortable, but that didn't affect me as my dreams were big.'
Premsai directed his first short film for a popular Telugu channel, and won accolades for it. Even Prabhudheva appreciated his work and that's when he got the confidence to assist the choreographer-turned-director in his films. 'I first joined him as an AD for the Telugu film, Shankardada Zindabad, which had Chiranjeevi in the lead. Then, I worked as a co-director for Engeyum Kadhal, which had Jayam Ravi and Hansika in the lead. I co-wrote the dialogues for that film, too. That's when I learnt a lot. It was those three years with Prabhudheva that enhanced my directional skills and gave me the confidence to proceed on my own,' says Premsai.
About his debut film, he says, 'First, I narrated the script of Tamilselvanum Thaniyar Anjalum to Jai. He loved the story and only then did we decide to approach someone big in the industry. When we narrated the story to Gautham Vasudev Menon, he loved it, and immediately agreed to produce it. He loved the way I narrated the story and said that I could handle the direction department with ease. He also suggested that I do this film in both, Tamil and Telugu. We decided to have Yami Gautam in both the versions and planned to rope in another hero for the Telugu version. Gautham had so much confidence in me that he came to the sets on only one day. He didn't interfere even at the scripting level.'
The film has been in the making for nearly three years. So, what was the reason for the delay? Premasai explains, 'There is no specific reason. There was a break in the shoot due to financial issues. Meanwhile, Jai had gotten busy with his other films, and Yami, too, had become busy in Bollywood. I cannot blame anyone ' such things have happened to even stalwarts in this industry. But I loved this journey of making the film. It is about the life of a courier delivery guy, his dreams and love. The first half of the film is more like a romantic comedy with a suspense element in it, and the second half is an action thriller. The film also has big starcast, including Santhanam, VTV Ganesh and Thambi Ramaiah. Also, there is a club song in the film, which we have shot without a single scene of people drinking or smoking ' I am sure that will be something new.'