You are consistently inconsistent as far as hits are concerned.
Moviemaking is an enlarged version of the snakes-and-ladders game. Hits and misses are part of the industry. I have weathered the early uncertainties and am still around.
A lot was expected ofMarudhu, but your lungi-rolling act with the Madurai backdrop did not gel well with the audience.
Marudhu is the biggest hit of my career, both in Tamil and Telugu. As a mass entertainer, it satisfied all sections of the audience.
Sri Divya as the heroine looked odd. The audience could not see any chemistry.
We hit it off well and nothing looked amiss during the shoot. A few variations and combinations are necessary. Lakshmi Menon was said to be my lucky pair, but there is a risk of the audience getting bored.
What about the other Lakshmi in your life, if it is not too personal?
I am a transparent person and will share all-important moments with the whole world. As of now, there is the huge responsibility of getting a building for Nadigar Sangam, for which a fund is slowly being generated.
Is the Nadigar Sangam in safe hands now?
The loans have been repaid. Help has been provided to the needy. Devi Educational Trust, in the name of my mother, is into assisting the education of the underprivileged.
Your home banner (Vishal Film Factory) seems to have bailed you out after not-so-successful outings in the early years.
I admit there’s an advantage in being a producer and picking the right script when the going is not good. On the flip side, the huge production cost plays at the back of your mind. You cannot discount the pressure factor when there’s so much money involved.
You surprised everyone by playing the squint-eyed villager in Bala’sAvan Ivan. There was a story of your visit to a famous hospital to set right blurred vision post the shoot.
I was stretched to the limits. But a voice inside me kept yelling that this was the chance of a lifetime and the risk of losing an eye was no big deal.
Are you at home in only village subjects? Why not try an urban film?
Honestly, I want to do an action-packed mass flick. That is happening now in Mysskin’s Thupparivalan , where I play a stylish character on the lines of Sherlock Holmes.
What aboutKaththi Sandai, with director Suraj?
It’s an urban story, and the early footage promises a good entertainer. I am paired with Tamannaah for the first time. It has aroused curiosity.
You are back with Vadivelu after a nine-year gap sinceThimiru. Why did the industry cold-shoulder him for the last five years?
He was embroiled in a political issue. It is not fair for me to comment on that. But after Kaththi Sandai , Vadivelu will get cracking again.
Right from your first movieChellame, the dubbed ones likeSandakozhi,Thaamirabharani, andThimiruhave been huge hits in Telugu…
It is not just for the Reddy factor alone. In Hyderabad and coastal places, the audience have a craving for masala projects. My movies cater to their liking.
On the Reddy syndrome, a leading actress repeatedly harped on the surname during the unsavoury Nadigar Sangam confrontations…
Thankfully, the issue is a closed chapter. We are all one in the industry, and does it matter if good news is brought in by a Vishal or a Vishal Reddy?
You have spoken out about piracy. Tamil Film Producers Council president Thanu has said that you are new to these responsibilities and still have to understand the system…
I cannot take a lifetime to understand the system. The menace of piracy has to be eradicated. I speak for all producers and was the first one to say that Simbu’s Idhu Namma Aalu has to be protected at any cost. The entire industry has to come together and fight it out.
What about your first love of directing, having trained under Arjun?
It is very much on the cards. I am just waiting for a good script.
