Interview: Sudeep
One would have thought the original release of Phoonk was scary enough to keep Sandalwood star Sudeep from coming back for seconds. Yet, after making his Bollywood debut a few years ago in one of the perceptively scariest films to ever come out of Hindi cinema, Sudeep has indeed decided to try his hand again at what is turning out to be a blood-curling franchise in Phoonk 2.
Interestingly enough, as Sudeep tries to build upon his strong name in Kannada film (also known as Sandalwood) while finding his niche in Hindi cinema, the South Indian star thinks the spotlights of Bollywood are blinding audiences from quality actors hailing from Karnataka and Kerala.
“(We are) totally sidelined by Hindi film-goers. I didn’t come to Mumbai looking for a career,” Sudeep told reporters earlier this week as he promoted Phoonk 2. “I adore this personality called Ram Gopal Varma. I think it was basically Ramu’s trust in my abilities that prompted me to get on that flight from Bangalore to Mumbai.”
Odd he chose Varma as the ideal Bollywood personality to force the southern actor from his roots in Karnataka. After all, it was not too long ago that Sudeep starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan in the critically acclaimed film Rann. Still, he stopped short of pointing fingers at anyone, merely stating Bollywood’s top billing in India is not good news for everyone.
“I don’t want to blame anyone for this state of affairs. It’s just that Kannada cinema hasn’t grown,” he candidly told reporters. “But let’s be fair. There are filmmakers like Ramu to give us a chance. I’m sure there will be other chances given to South Indian actors.”
It was a chance and opportunity obviously afforded to Sudeep in 2004, when Bollywood came calling and presented him with the lead role in Phoonk. After that, he has since watched his career skyrocket to soon find himself not only returning for the film franchise’s second chapter but also hobnobbing with the likes of Bachchan and Varma.
Ironically, the actor with humble beginnings thinks South Indian actors are always living in the shadows of the likes of Bachchan, even though Big B himself is not at all to blame.
“Somehow I feel South Indian actors are not that well-known in the Hindi belt,” Sudeep informed the press. “Tamil and Telugu actors have an upper hand, but Kannada and Kerala are totally sidelined by Hindi film-goers.”
While he observed how South Indian actors are generally “sidelined” by Bollywood talent, at least Sudeep is doing his part in trying to give Kannada-based actors a chance to earn their proper due and be recognized by audiences outside of Karnataka. His appearances in Phoonk and Phoonk 2 are a testament to the actor’s willingness to take risks in order to demonstrate just how talented actors hailing from Karnataka can be.
“I had never done a horror film before. I don’t even like horror films,” Sudeep informed the press, explaining how he was willing to venture out of his element for the sake of proving top-level actors can be found beyond the reaches of Bollywood (and even Kollywood and Tollywood, for that matter). “The challenge was to do a new genre in a new language, culture, and with actors I didn’t know.”
There is not a whole lot Bollywood knows about Sudeep either. A man with humble beginnings, the South Indian thespian is the first actor in his family. As a struggling actor in Karnataka, Sudeep recalled earning just $10 per month and finding time to play India’s favorite pastime.
“My father is a hotelier in Karnataka. There are no actors in my family. I used to play a lot of cricket at the junior level,” he recalled. “Then I did my engineering and got interested in singing and playing the guitar. Yes, I’m a musician. From music, it was a step away from cinema. For six years, I struggled in the Kannada cinema industry. I lived on Rs.500 ($10) per month.”
Of course, he did not have to struggle so mightily to make ends meet, what with his father’s business operations big enough to not only keep the family afloat long-term but also to give Sudeep something to do professionally. Then again, he also had no interest in maintaining the family business. In fact, he stopped taking money from his family after the tenth grade, instead finding ways to make money on his own.
“I never took money from the family after standard 10. I used to work in a clothes store, played cricket for money, did photo shoots…” Sudeep reminisced during his chat with the press. “It was that period of struggle which gave me the experience to be an actor. The emotions have to come from the raw material of life.”
Perhaps it is that emotion that is not only on full display on the screen but also off, what with the perspectives he share on mainstream Bollywood actors versus regional thespians hailing from his home state of Karnataka.
More importantly, perhaps that emotion will be the difference-maker looking forward, as aficionados of regional cinema need well-spoken actors such as Sudeep to truly make a difference and demonstrate to the world that Indian cinema is much more than just Bollywood.
Then again, Bollywood still does have its place in Indian cinema, and at least for this week, Sudeep will be doing his part trying to literally scare the hell out of Hindi film fans with his reprised role in Phoonk 2, which is now playing.
(Editor’s Note: The Indo-American News Service contributed to this story.)
