Double Impact

Raavan gave me the chance to cater to both the actor and the star in me. It’s 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 Ratnam’s 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 actor’s 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 Ratnam’s 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 didn’t fare well in Hindi,Vikram considers it a personal success. “It got me recognised in the North. I’ve met people who’ve watched it 50 times,” grins the 44-year-old.

Subscriber Only Stories

View All

Premium

UPSC Key-August 10, 11, and August 12, 2022: Why you should read ‘Euthana...

Premium

What is border post 918 which provides shade to both India and Pakistan?

Premium

Ravi Shankar Prasad: ‘(Nitish) is nothing on his own… He may be honest bu...

Premium

Explained: Baloch separatism and the coercive accession of the Khanate of...

Subscribe Now to get 62% OFF

A lot of the actor’s 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. It’s easy to suppose that the Southern actor’s 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 — Aishwarya’s character-being the fulcrum.” But he tactfully adds,“Of course,since Beera is the titular Raavan,you’ll see a lot more of him.”