Portraying an army man is difficult: Vikram Prabhu

Vikram Prabhu is a busy man these days��� what with juggling three projects ��� Wagah, Veera Sivaji and an untitled film directed by SR Prabhakaran ��� dubbing and shooting takes up all his time. But nevertheless, he took time out for a chat with us, telling us about how he chooses his films, and what he���s been up to since his last release���
Is Wagah a war film?
I can say that the movie will be different as far as the Tamil audience is concerned.It is based on Border Security Force, and incidentally, it is the 50th year of BSF. Many of us, often, do not make any distinction between these different armed forces, and assume that anybody wearing camouflage is the army. But BSF soldiers are different, their lives in the border are tedious; it���s a tough life. We have more than three lakh BSF soldiers in the country, and they are the people who protect us from intruders.
How did you prepare yourself for the role?
I actually heard the script almost a year after Kumki was completed. We worked a lot on the script before starting to shoot, which happened only last year. So, this movie has been a long journey for all of us. We spent a year on research, I interacted with the soldiers, got to see where they stay, what they eat and how they lead their lives. Insofar as possible, we have adhered to reality when it comes to portraying the lives of the soldiers. But then, this is not a documentary, and so, entertaining elements, romance, etc, have been added. I realised portraying an army man is difficult ��� we have this image of them in our head, but the reality is something else altogether. It was also challenging because we had to shoot in extreme climatic conditions ��� we braved the hottest as well as the coldest weather.
But how are border-based movies relevant for Tamil cinema?
After we started shooting, we had a lot of news about how there have been intrusions at the border and several jawans were killed, etc. Even now, there are debates on about that, and all of this has made it to the national news as well. I think this subject is relevant at any point of time, wherever we live. What we see on television is different from what the reality is. Plus, at the end of the day, it is about man braving extremes. I realised it is a tough life out there. When you speak to soldiers and they tell you their routine, where they sleep, how they deal with climate, terrain, etc, all I could think of was how blessed we are to be here, and how, they are the reason we are at peace here.
What about your upcoming movies?
I have got a couple of songs to finish for Veera Sivaji, and I have just signed a film with director SR Prabhakar and actress Manjima. The story, is set in Trichy, and is based on real life incidents. It���s different from what I have been doing till now, and that, is a conscious decision because I am still in my learning stages. I don���t want any of my movies to look or feel the same. I think this is the time to make mistakes, let my first 10 films be my learning ground. I am onto my eighth film now, so I���ve got two more to fine tune my act. And so, I am rooting for off-beat films.
Any regrets, mistakes, so far?
I don���t have any regrets about the movies I have done. But I must say that I got into a lot of accidents while shooting for Ivan Veramathiri. I injured my shoulders and knees, and I just wish that hadn���t happened. Those injuries still affect me. Whenever I lift weights, my knees hurt. I have always taken my stunts seriously, but I wish I had avoided those injuries. After finishing these three films, I am going to take a month���s break and focus on my health.
A film with your father?
My father is my first audience. He has set high standards for himself, and he expects me to set my own benchmarks. We are still hoping to do a movie together. We haven���t found a script yet, and when we do a film, it will be a fun entertainer with my father (Prabhu).
How do you manage to juggle films?
I try and give three releases every year. I love doing multiple films. I���ve followed what Rajini sir asked me to do at the time of Kumki���s audio launch. He told me to work on multiple films if possible and I���m glad he is following what he preaches (Rajini is doing Kabali and 2.0 at the same time).