When Vikram almost made his Hindi debut as a ’60-70 year-old man’ in Eklavya: ‘I wasn’t sure…but Vidhu Vinod Chopra was confident’

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In an interview to Scroll post the release of Anand Shankar’s Iru Mugan, Vikram opened up about the time VVC offered him the 2007 film Eklavya: The Royal Guard. Talking about how age shouldn’t be a limiting factor for actors, Vikram said, “About 10 years back, Vidhu Vinod Chopra called me and asked if I could do the role of a 60-70 year-old man in Eklavya. I said I couldn’t do it.”

Eklavya: The Royal Guard featured Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani, and Sanjay Dutt in pivotal roles. From Vikram’s words, it can be assumed that he was offered the role of Amitabh Bachchan in the film. “Vidhu Vinod Chopra told me that I could do the role because I had done Anniyan. But I wasn’t sure I could carry it off, so I didn’t. If I feel I could do it one day, I would,” said Vikram.

Despite playing a myriad of roles in his stellar career, Vikram hasn’t yet played the role of an old man. Talking about playing his age, Vikram, in the same interview, said, “I don’t think an actor’s age is of any importance. It is about how he looks and if he can carry off a particular role. You can’t fool people. But if I can manage took young and fresh, I would continue doing these roles.”

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On the acting front, Vikram is awaiting the release of his much-awaited film, Veera Dheera Sooran, which is helmed by Chithha director Su Arun Kumar. The movie, which also stars Dushara Vijayan, SJ Suryah, and Suraj Venjaramoodu, will hit the screens on March 27.