Soori on acting in Vetri Maaran’s Viduthalai: ‘I believe a comedian can do any role’

He adds, “Again I was sleepless for a whole night thinking about whether or not I should call him. Then finally I took the plunge and sent him a message, and he called back asking me to come to his office. When I went there he told me the outline of a story and I was wondering which role I should steal away. However, he had an actor for all the supporting characters and I was wondering what is in store for me. He finally said, ‘So, you do the mani role.’ I just sat there without reacting and slowly came out of the office sat in the car and told my driver to start the car, and he said, ‘Anna, you are at the wheels.’ This happened.” Take off.

However, the euphoria didn’t last for a long time for Soori as the project was eventually dropped, and Vetrimaaran got busy with Dhanush’s Asuran. The flight descended. However, Vetri had told me that a collaboration with Soori is on cards. “Normally, Vetri sir’s film would be a hit, and Asuran turned out to be a blockbuster. Then started the rumours that he is teaming up with Vijay, and there were reports of him collaborating with Suriya. I thought okay that’s it for me. But he again called me and said we will start another film with Dubai as the backdrop.” The flight acquires altitude.

The film’s initial photoshoot took place. Vetir and Soori were sharing a caravan. While Soori was getting ready in one end of the vehicle, the director got animated over the call. “I could hear him say ‘where’, ‘how many’, and I got a bit worried about what was it all about. I knew something was off,” Soori says. The telephone call was about the increasing number of corona cases across the world. Descent, again.

All this while Soori was losing out on his other films, though Vetrimaaran had told him to not opt out of any movies without asking him. “He was the one who told me to act in Rajini sir’s film Annatthhe saying it is a dream-come-true moment for anyone in the industry. He was also the one who told me not to miss out on Sivakarthikeyan’s Don because ours is a successful combo that shouldn’t stop. However, I kept avoiding other projects and didn’t tell Vetri sir because he would then postpone Viduthalai.”

Then he finally reveals how Viduthalai came into being. “So, after corona and lockdown, Vetri sir again called me and said that he is dropping the Dubai film because it is not possible to do it now. I was devastated but I nodded my head. But in the end, he said, ‘I have another story.’ The flight again took off. That’s when he narrated the story of Viduthalai, and here I am now. After about two to three years of the waiting game.” This time the flight actually took off!

The comedian did find it hard to adapt to the realistic performance Vetri was demanding of him for the film. “On the first day, there was a scene where I had to climb on the rope as a trainee constable and I had to take a beating from my senior. I reacted the way I have been doing all this while in my films. You know, I just have a bunch of signature moves. That’s all I know. Vetri spoke to me in person after the shot and said that he doesn’t want ‘that’ Soori. He told me to do what is just asked of him. From the next day, though I struggled to suppress that Soori, I never disappointed Vetri… I think. According to me, a comedian can do any role because making people laugh is tough. If one can do that, he can do any kind of role.”

When asked what made Vetrimaaran choose Soori for the role, he says, “Even my wife wondered the same. She asked me, ‘He doesn’t know you at all, then why you?’ Many actors will line up to act under his direction. So, I once asked Manimaran what’s the reason behind the move. He said, ‘Vetri saw innocence in you that he wanted for the character.’ Once Vetri sir also told me the same and asked me to never lose that innocence.”

What’s more impressive about Soori is that he is self-aware and that’s why he is not keen on only doing films where he will play the hero from now on. “This happened now, which is great. But you don’t know what’s going to happen next. I am ready to do any role. I always have ‘that’ Soori in me. I will get on any bus that comes my way. I will ask about the destination once I am on it.”

He adds that he will continue to act with Sivakarthikeyan and he always has a place in that ‘home’. “SK remarked that he has to now look for a new actor to replace me. I told him that would never happen because my place in his films is permanent, and I will always return to that home.”

Soori will next be seen in a lead role in Kottukkaali, which is directed by PS Vinothraj of Koozhangal fame. He is also part of a film directed by Ameer and another with director Ram. Looks like the plane will be in the sky for a while now. It is true that rags-to-riches stories like that of Soori are far and in between, but they are the ones that keep many similar dreams alive. And what are we without our dreams?

Viduthalai, based on a short story Thunaivan by Jeyamohan, will be released on March 31.