Actor Santhosh, who played young Aditya Karikalan in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan II, is currently working on a sci-fi fantasy, a stark departure from his previous outing. “I don’t think that my next film should be a certain way because I did Ponniyin Selvan. There’s no pressure either, but I don’t want to repeat myself, and that’s why the film I’m currently doing is set in a completely different zone. I want to be mindful of what I do,” says the actor.
In a chat with us, he talks about his forthcoming projects, working with Gautham Vasudev Menon for the music video, Muththa Pichchai, and more…
‘I WANT TO LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS’I’m really grateful for the love I received for Ponniyin Selvan. All the credit goes to Mani sir for how beautifully he placed the scenes of a young Aditya Karikalan. People have noticed the smallest details of that 10-minute scene and still remember it. I really want to live up to those expectations for every other project I do.
‘Gautham sir told me not to over complicate things’Speaking about what he learnt from directors Mani Ratnam and Gautham Vasudev Menon, Santhosh says, “As I came from the theatre, my performance meter was a little high. Mani sir instructed me to bring in a level of realism and that really changed my perspective on acting. A good takeaway from Gautham sir has been to be myself, not overcomplicate things, and play to my advantages. From him, I learnt to have a simple approach to acting, as the subtlety of your emotions will be captured by the camera; you don’t have to do anything more. He knows every single person has their advantages, and he shapes the character accordingly.”
‘THE FILM IS A SCI-FI FANTASY PLACED IN THE REAL WORLD WITH HUMAN EMOTIONS’I’m currently shooting for an untitled film that’s almost a sci-fi fantasy but placed entirely in the real world with real human emotions. It’s about how something so out of this world can be a part of this world. I’m paired opposite Samyuktha Viswanathan. I was approached for this project about one-and-a-half years ago while working on a music video with Gautham Vasudev Menon. The sci-fi film’s director, Aswin Kandasamy, was the executive producer of that project. The initial idea was to make a short film, but then we thought about making it into a feature film. The moment I heard the script, I knew I had to be a part of it. The film is in a very experimental zone and has a lot of VFX and humour.
‘I CAN IMMEDIATELY TELL IF I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT OR NOT’When I hear a script, I can immediately tell if I want to be a part of it or not. I’ll ask the directors if they’re confident in me, and if they say yes, then I’ll definitely do it. As I’m a debut hero, some producers have backed out. I understand where they come from. It’s a business after all. I don’t blame them at all because I did take a long time to come back after Ponniyin Selvan: II.
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