Southern star Vikram on how Raavan was a challenge,twice over
Raavan gave me the chance to cater to both the actor and the star in me. Its been a huge challenge,of course,but it felt good to be able to pull it off, , says South Indian actor Vikram,who plays pivotal roles in both the Hindi and Tamil versions of Mani Ratnams upcoming opus.
With his soft-spoken mien and a habit of carefully considering each question put to him,the Southern star is a far cry from his wild and unpredictable character Veera (Beera in the Hindi version) in Raavanan,the Tamil version. Veera,Vikram tells us,is an actors dream come true,while Dev,the character he plays in the Hindi version,is more of a star. Dev is closer to a traditional hero,while Veera,being such a grey character,gives great scope to explore a whole range of emotions, he reveals. It was Ratnams idea for Vikram to play two different roles in the two versions of the same film.
Vikram will be familiar to most Hindi movie-goers as the troubled protagonist of the 2005 film Anniyan,dubbed in Hindi as Aparichit. Although that movie didnt fare well in Hindi,Vikram considers it a personal success. It got me recognised in the North. Ive met people whove watched it 50 times, grins the 44-year-old.
Best of Express Premium
A lot of the actors appeal lies in his easy charm and rugged good looks. Yet,most of the posters and rushes of the Hindi film focus more on his co-stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan. Its easy to suppose that the Southern actors role is a marginal one,but the actor counters: Beera needs a buffer,which is Dev without one,the other cannot be recognised for what he is. In fact,the two men are like two ends of a scale,with Ragini Aishwaryas character-being the fulcrum. But he tactfully adds,Of course,since Beera is the titular Raavan,youll see a lot more of him.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
