Mass appeal
Common folks have won elections with just his poster and blind fan-fare. But Vijayakanth, Tamil super-star, is not tempted to jump into politics. He is the hero of the masses; he understands them. And he is happy the way life has treated him. A fair share of successes, some box-office failures but never out of favour. Rajeev Nair met him in Dubai
VIJAYAKANTH, South Indian super-star, throws at you ‘intros’ in every step.
1. He was once called the ‘Poor Man’s Rajnikanth.’ Today, his films released alongside major Rajni starrers have surpassed the one and only Rajni’s films in box-office collections.
Proof: The stupendous success of year 2002’s Ramanna.
2. Vijayakanth gently pats his face. He has a broken cheek bone. It is rather non-existent, fallen to a bullet taken in at a cinema shoot. He did plastic surgery to cover the damage but decided that three days after or before his birthday — which is celebrated like a national holiday by his fans on August 25 — he would do no more stunts.
Reason: The bullet had stuck him on an eventful August 26 in the early 80s.
3. Vijayakanth has no immediate plans to jump into politics. But he could win elections even without even campaigning. At a Tamil Nadu provincial election, 450 of his fans, who had nothing but his blessings and a few posters of his, emerged triumphant.
Inference: The man gels with the masses. Much like his many on-screen avatars.
The action hero of Tamil cinema, the first one in the region to do the frightening helicopter stunt after the sad demise of Malayalam actor Jayan, all of 82 kilogrammes, will floor you with his down-to-earth graciousness.
There are no star dramas, and you could have very well been with the rice mill owner from Madurai, who happened to land up in cinema, quite by chance, and who also happens to be the only actor in Tamil cinema today to have delivered three confident hits in the past three consecutive years.
And yes, he still has the rice mill, which he says helped him understand the needs and aspirations of the common folk. It also might have put him in good stead enacting the saviour act of the under-dogs in countless films.
The man has an earthy sincerity. In his words, and body language.
He was recently in Dubai to announce the Tamil Mega Star Night 2003, a star-studded show scheduled to take place next week. Excerpts from an interview:
You are in your 25th year in Tamil cinema. Looking back, what are your impressions about the industry?
Twenty-five years back, a film would be completed in 20 days. Today, with all the technological excellence, it sometimes takes 60 days, 80 days or 100 days.
Earlier, a dance sequence would have the hero and the heroine. Then the number of extra artistes who accompany them started increasing. First it was five, it became ten. Now, you have over 40 and 60.
This is because of the arrival of television and the popularity of foreign language films. People watch MTV and V Channel, and in a bid to satisfy people, film-makers started adding more of everything.
I used to do some 14 fights in a week earlier — one during day, and one during night. Now, one fight takes four to six days. I once took 13 days to complete a fight.
Everything has increased, in fact. Even, the ticket charges have gone up.
Will you be hosting any silver jubilee celebration?
I am planning something to coincide with my birthday but nothing has been finalised as yet. For the birthday, anyway, the accent will be on charity work. I donate Rs25 lakhs to an educational trust every year.
In the last three years, you have delivered a hit every year. But things are not all that rosy in the Tamil film industry. It is going through a bad phase. What do you think is the reason for this slump?
Lack of good stories. The audience wants change. While there is an improvement in the technical side, one should remember that there is no substitute for a good story. And lack of touching stories is not just a problem confined to the Tamil industry. Even Malayalam film industry is facing the same problem.
I have been hearing stories since the last three months. I did not hear a single story that did not remind me of at least one of the 142 films I had did earlier. It is also important how you treat the story. It makes all the difference.
But there is also another major reason: Video piracy. It is a major issue.
You have been an ardent campaigner against video piracy. Why is it that, despite such measures, piracy continues unabated?
Video piracy is a global phenomenon. It is happening in Hindi, Malayalam, Hollywood. Recently, I was in Alappuzha, Kerala, for the shooting of Chokka Thangam. I saw the VCDs of the latest James Bond film, Die Another Day, being sold for Rs45.
Corruption is rampant in this business. In Tamil Nadu, for example, if the CD business fetches Rs9 crores, at least three crores go to the police as bribes. We have informed the government about it all.
If the government is serious about stopping piracy, and take sincere steps, video piracy can be put to an end.
When you first came to cinema you were known as the ‘Poor Man’s Rajnikanth.’ Today, your films clash with his, and as with Ramanna, even performs better than Rajni’s. How do you feel?
Rajnisir has his audience. So even if my films release alongside his, there is no loss in viewership for either of us. Even if there is a loss, I would say it is a loss from the profit.
You are also the president of the South Indian Film Actors Association. But there are many fissures in your midst, especially the kind that came to surface during the Cauvery issue…
I was out of station during that time. I think there was a conflict somewhere, which we haven’t been able to pin-point exactly. We have some clue but I can’t disclose anything about that. I think I could have dealt with the issue if I were in town.
Where had you gone?
I had gone location scouting for a film, which we had to eventually drop. Immediately upon coming to know of the issues, I returned.
You are in the limelight. You have mass appeal. And people even talk of the political overtures in your recent films. Are you joining politics?
These rumours about I joining politics started after my fans won some 450 seats in provincial elections. The flags of my fan associations resembled the DMK, AIADMK (the main political parties in the state of Tamil Nadu) flags. They contested the elections on their own using just my posters. They told me that I need not even campaign.
Did you support them with money?
No. All I did was print them my posters.
Now that they have won the elections aren’t you confident about succeeding in politics…
To enter politics, there must be careful deliberation. Politics is like an ocean. One just won’t jump into it because others call you ‘leader’ and the media makes speculative statements.
When you first acted, it is reported that you were denied offers saying your Tamil accent was not good. Is it true?
Yes. In fact, that was a sort of challenge to me. I wanted to prove them wrong.
You have always promoted upcoming artists. You have supported the current heart-throb Vijay during his initial years just as you give newcomers the chance to direct films under your own production banners. Aren’t you creating your own competition, in a way…?
I have always been like that. I have also introduced artists like Mansoor Ali Khan. What is important is to do your work properly. I have total confidence in myself.
You have had a very tough going. You would have one hit followed by many flops. People have tried to write you off, and then you would bounce back. What set you going during the dark phase?
I have always wanted to win, and setbacks have only boosted my desire to win. If you keep on winning too, it is bad. You will develop arrogance. Ups and downs help you understand life, and help you develop a clear judgement.
Why do you do mostly action films?
I have done comedy initially. Then my films started addressing social issues, which I could understand perfectly because of my close working relationship with employees at my rice mill. Most of my sentimental films have done well too.
In doing action films, do you use dupes?
I do the stunts myself. And I don’t practise for the stunts. I haven’t learnt any karate or whatever. All I do is the regular exercise. Whatever the stunt master does, I would do. If the stunt master cannot, I too cannot do it. I need someone who can show me how to do the stunt. If there is a difficult stunt that I can’t do at one time, I would think of it during the night, practise during my routine exercise and try it again.
You had gone for a desert safari in Dubai. How was the experience?
I have gone through greater thrills. I copied the helicopter stunt of True Lies in one of my films. After Jayan died in the helicopter crash, no other actor was willing to do such stunts. I insisted on doing it myself. Look (pointing to his cheek, below his right eye) it is plastic surgery. I have no bone here. A bullet had hit here. Rumours did the rounds that I lost my eye.
Who is your most favourite villain?
Thilakan. His power of dialogue delivery is terrific. In Malayalam actors, I am a great fan of yesteryear hero Sathyan. I have plans to remake his film, Kara Kaana Kadal.
