''OF COURSE, I HAVE MY DEIVATHIN FILM, KABALI''

Kalaiyarasan who made people notice him in Madras will be seen in Darling 2 that hits the screen tomorrow, the 1st of April. Here, in an exclusive chat with behindwoods, Kalai talks about Darling 2, his crew members and his other films. Over to Kalaiarasan:

What is your role in Darling 2?

Darling 2 is about five friends who go on a tour where one of them gets possessed. The problems they face after this incident, form the story. Myself, Rameez Raja, Kaali Venkat, Arjun and Hari (Johnny) are the friends group. In any group, there will be two friends who are closer than the rest. Rameez and I will be very close in this group.

What made you accept this role?

At first, I got an offer to play the guest role in this film. When I heard the story, I told them that I had done a similar kind of role in Darling too. So I was skeptical. Later, they offered me this character and I liked it. I had seen the short film made by this director. I liked his comic sense and he had handled the humor components in this film (short film) very well.  When I heard that my friends Kaali Venkat and Hari are also in the cast, I got more interested. That’s how Darling 2 happened. 

Cast members

I met the heroine Maya only in this film and I don’t have many combination scenes with her. She is a good performer.

As regards Kaali Venkat annan, this is my 3rd film with him after Urumeen and Raja Mandhiri. Kaali Venkat is a library for acting. He outperforms in whatever roles that are given to him. It was fun to work with annan who shares his experiences with us.

Hari – You would have seen his mettle in Madras. In this film, his role is a normal one, but we both discussed and improvised. We have brought in a stammering element in his character to make it look different.

Arjun- I met Arjun only in this film but after a couple of days we all became friends. We all stayed in the same place and had a good time.

Rameez was new to the team but he also jelled pretty quickly.

Cinematographer

I need to talk about the cinematographer Vijay Karthik here. With the limited number of days allotted for shooting, he had made the best use. We had finished the talkie portions in just ten days. The total credit goes to him. As it is a horror film, the scenes were shot mostly at nights and it was difficult to light the place. He did it quite effortlessly.

Have you had supernatural experiences in your life?

No, I don’t believe in supernatural powers. Of course I do have fears of human beings, darkness and such things.

In April, you are having two releases- Darling 2 and Raja Mandhiri. How do you feel?

Of course, I am very happy but more than that, I also have fears. Before Madras, I had the anxiety of proving myself but Ranjith anna laid the platform to prove my worth. He gave me life. But now, I have greater fears as everyone is expecting more from me. Even in Urumeen, people felt that it was not like Madras but agreed that I had justified my character. I am not sure, if I would get a film where I could outperform Madras. Of course, I am trying my best to justify my character in every film.

Other projects

I am currently working in Eydhavan directed by Shakthi who had worked in Madha Yaanai Koottam. I have completed China directed by AR Murugadoss’s assistant Harshavardhan, Pattinapaakkam, a remake of  a Malayalam movie and a Madurai based film where I am paired with Prasanna. These films are in its post-production phase.

And of course I have my deivathin film Kabali!!!

Wish you the best Kalai!!!

Jyothsna Bhavanishankar

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