Interview: Vikram
By: Kiran Ayodhya
Vikram made a name for himself in India’s “other” popular film industry in Kollywood, and somehow he thinks that is sufficient to sit on his ivory tower and throw some cushioned stones at his Bollywood brethren.
Now that he is starring in his first-ever Bollywood film, perhaps his fellow Hindi cinema co-stars will be intently listening to what the popular South Indian has been saying – specifically his observations of the limited types of characters, and those three characters are personified by himself, Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai.
And just what are those three common characters? According to Vikram, there is the heroic veteran and the annoying “brat.”
“There are three main characters: me, Abhishek and Aishwarya. I’ve done a lot of tortuous sequences in the past, but this one takes the cake…and the ache. Aishwarya suffered all the wounds, pain, fever and insect bites heroically in the forests. For all the dangerous scenes, she hardly ever used a duplicate. She was totally up to the task,” Vikram, 44, observed to the press about his co-star in Raavan, the film in which the Tamil star is making his Bollywood debut. “She has some kind of an enduring aura. Over the years, she has really evolved as an actor.”
Born Vikram Kennedy but referred to in film circles by his mononymous stage name, Vikram added that what makes Aishwarya stand out even more as the heroic veteran is her awesome happy feet.
“I always felt Madhuri Dixit was the best dancer ever, but then I saw how Aishwarya held her own in Devdas. I thought it was fantastic. It was really nice to see her dance. I just forgot my own steps and kept staring,” Vikram told reporters. “Every hero from the south wants to work with her at some point in his career…I got my opportunity finally.”
Of course, by starring in Raavan, Vikram received a package deal – not only did he team up with Aishwarya, but her husband Abhishek was also cast as the film’s lead role. With the junior Bachchan around on set, Vikram said he had to control his behavior during production because of Abhishek.
“I am known to be the prankster, but with Abhishek around, I had to withdraw from the brat race,” Vikram jokingly told reporters.
What was not a brat race or a prank was Vikram’s competing roles in the two versions of Raavan. When the original Tamil version released last year, Vikram played a villainous outlaw who successfully kidnaps the films female lead – coincidentally played by Aishwarya in the Kollywood version.
Conversely, Vikram switched shoes in the Bollywood remake, playing husband to the kidnapped wife (yes, also played by Aishwarya in the Hindi version). The Kollywood superstar said it was rather difficult playing the competing roles. Even more, Vikram observes that fans in Bollywood and Kollywood will have to pay close attention to his differing roles as protagonist and villain.
“We had to do it in two consecutive shots, one after another. It was very exciting for me,” Vikram told reporters, indicating both versions of Raavan were shot at about the same time. “Though I’m known to change my look, going from the husband’s look to the outlaw’s look after six (or) seven months didn’t seem feasible. So we decided to do both versions simultaneously. When you see Raavan in two languages, you won’t recognize me as the same person in both. I had to change my body language and get-up completely.”
Vikram said he would not be getting up and completely leaving Kollywood, as he still has a strong affinity and close affection for his home film industry.
“All my Tamil films take one to two years. I like to take my time over my projects. I didn’t want to enter Hindi cinema until I was ready,” Vikram told reporters. “Tamil or Hindi is a toss-up. The work in Mumbai is so exciting. Most Tamil films are rustic, rural, rugged and violent, but I’m not leaving Tamil cinema for Hindi. Even if I do Hindi films, I want to be Chennai-based.”
