The actor talks about playing a villain in ‘Anabarivu’, things he learned in Kuthupattarai, what kind of films he wants to do and more
It has been 20 years since Vidarth first appeared on the big screen in the blink of an eye.Minnale, Ten years after his successful film,Myna, Despite the film’s commercial success and the acclaim he received, Vidarth’s career graph did not see a dramatic upward curve. Describing his journey, he says, “I know I am not a star today, but I never wanted to be a star.”
That’s because Vidartha always wanted to be oneactor,
Cinema was a childhood attraction for him. His maternal grandfather had appeared in minor roles of P Neelakantan.ya iraavu(written by CN Annadurai) and Krishnan-Panju’s famousParashakti(Written by M Karunanidhi) in which Sivaji Ganesan made his debut. He wanted Vidarth to also appear in films. When he liked a character in a film, he used to address Vidarth by the name of that character. Vidarth, till now, was a constant presence in his school plays.
In the late 90s, he came to Chennai to appear in films and Minnale Happened within a few years. , “I was happy. But I knew I didn’t come to Chennai to do just that. I thought I didn’t have the talent to get into films. I said to myself, ‘Either you leave films or train and become a good actor.’ This is how I joined Koothupattarai.”
The popular Chennai acting school taught him about films and life.
“I have seen some extraordinary actors out there. When I compare myself to them, I know I have a long way to go. For example, there is a senior actor named Murugan. He was not even the hero of the play but whenever he was on stage, he would be a star. But the next morning, you’ll see him in a tea stall, almost imperceptible. And, he is just an ordinary weaver. That’s when I learned that more than talent, it’s about the opportunities you get and what you do with them.
The audience of Koothupattarai took off his pride and inspired him to become a better actor. “We used to do a kind of Q&A session with the audience after a play. I have been asked things like, ‘Why do you even come on stage?’, ‘Why should we see you?’ Although these comments stinged me at the time, it inspired me to do better. ,
Stardom, Vidarth says, is fleeting. He said, “I have seen people like Murugan, who are liked when they come on stage, but when they come back to their day jobs they are called ‘poda vada’. Hence, despite being in films. I never felt like a star. My only wish is to do good roles and be a part of good films.”
Upcoming Projects
after the success ofMyna,Vidarth kept on signing films. But one flop followed another. At one point he asked himself what kind of films he wanted to do. The result of that reflection was M Manikandan’sKutrame ThandanaiIn which he is playing the role of a person suffering from tunnel vision. It was screened at several film festivals. “Although it didn’t make a lot of money, it earned me a lot of respect. I would divide my career before and after Kutrame Thandanai,
Eight films of Vidarth are lined up for release. is one of thempaynigal gavanikavumWhich is a remake of Malayalam filmseller., in which he plays a character with hearing and speech impairment. “Usually in our films, such characters keep quiet or simply say ‘ba ba ba’. But there are different levels of speech and hearing impairment. In the temple where I used to work, there was this old man named Srinivasan. His words would be vague but I loved talking to him and I could understand what he was saying. So, I have tried to bring all these details into the character.”
Vidarth is also excited about his upcoming release. Inanbarivu(Which will stream on Disney+Hotstar from January 7th), starring ‘Hip-Hop Tamiza’ Adhi, plays the antagonist. “I was not keen on playing the villain in a commercial film. But the film’s dialogue writer Pon Parthiban told me that the character was written for me. So I thought that I should at least meet the director once. When he told me about the role, I was pleasantly surprised. I told him, ‘If I were a writer, I would not have chosen myself for this role.’ He saw something in me that I didn’t see. I too was not sure whether the look he suggested with the big mustache would suit me or not. But when I saw myself on the monitor, I realized it was fitting.”
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