Thursday, November 24, 2005

Vijay is a man of pleasing demeanour

MODEST Actor Vijay

Actor Vijay needs no introduction. For a hero with `mass appeal', he is extremely affable. His elevation to stardom has not been meteoric but gradual.

"I planned it that way. I could have easily selected the roles I am doing now five or six years back, I am sure I would have succeeded. But my parents did not want my rise to be quick. Hence, I was prudent in selecting characters which would strengthen my career in films," the teenage heartthrob shared his secret of success during a visit to Sivakasi on the eve of his latest release of same name.

Hard worker

For a person with such a huge fan following and a string of successes, he is demure to the core. He knows both his strength and weakness well. "I will never over-do things. I know my limitations and work sincerely within them." Like many other Kollywood heroes, he too struggled before becoming a money-spinner.

His charisma is no less than any other top Kollywood star. He has brilliantly read the pulse of his fans: "I have come the hard way. My parents were always supportive and I was in a position to translate promises into results. Initially I played soft emotional characters and gradually shifted to action-packed roles. It was purely intentional and well planned."

His boyish looks work to his advantage and he selects roles that have a good reach among teenagers. No wonder then, that most of his fans are youths. Vijay also cherishes this status.
"I am what I am for my fans. I try to make them feel good. I want all ingredients in my movie. I am for commercial movies, which have fight, comedy and romance. I am very much involved in the movies I do. I am as interested as the director or the producer. But this should not be taken as interference. It is only participation out of interest. And it is showing good results," says the charismatic hero.

The current bunch of actors work on characters they play and Vijay too believes in it. But he follows a different style.

"I do a lot of home work. I follow real life characters, observe their movements and incorporate them in my movies. At present, I am shooting for `Puli' in which I play a police officer. I am trying to shape myself as a police officer, it is part of the job. Every actor is expected to do it."

Story is the hero

Vijay believes in intrinsic value of the story. "The story is the hero. There cannot be any story tailor-made for a hero. Of course, the content requires certain modifications to suit the hero, but the entire story cannot be tampered with. I never believe in making up," he asserts.

He is impressed by the competition among budding Kollywood heroes including Chimbhu, Dhanush and Jayam Ravi. "I like all the heroes. It proves there is no dearth of talent in acting. The competitive field brings out the best in them," says Vijay.

He values the contribution of his wife to his movies. "My wife takes care of my costumes. She also wishes to be a part of my movies, which is a good sign," he chuckles. Vijay is also involved in social service. "I know my fans have volunteered to serve for the welfare of family members of Tsunami victims. I am happy as long as they are useful and do good to the society. ," he beams with pride.

His next movie is `Aadhi' directed by Ramana, and planned for Pongal release.

T. Saravanan

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