In the best of moods, always
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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Satyaraj is a busy actor on the commercial circuit. But he has other plans too.
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DOWN TO EARTH: Satyaraj is a safe bet for producers.
Recently the media went berserk splashing pictures of Satyaraj dressed as a woman in bright yellow Bharatanatyam costume a la `Chandramukhi,' for a scene in the soon-to-be-released `Englishkaaran.'
The impishness of director Shakti Chidambaram and Satyaraj went down well with all. You cannot but admire the wit of the winning duo and their wacky sense of humour on screen. "Shakti knows how to use me," laughs Satyaraj. "These young directors have been watching me for a long time ... it is 28 years since I entered cinema. He knows my pluses well." `Englishkaaran' will be their third film together — their two earlier films `Ennamma Kannu' and `Maha Nadigan' had also been hits. "The film has my brand of sarcasm and a strong message too," says Satyaraj. "It clicks because by nature I'm cool and fun loving and the persona rubs off on screen," he grins.
Satyaraj is considered a safe bet these days. Investment for his films is less and returns guaranteed. And remarkably, his films catch your attention at the title stage itself.
"Yes ... I need these gimmicks, because my films are not mega ventures like `Anniyan.' When we use a tagline like `Thamizh Vaazhga' and call the film "Englishkaaran' it evokes immediate interest," he chuckles.
After the villain phase, Satyaraj crossed over to commercial hero roles. Then Bharatiraaja gave him strong characters in films like `Vedam Pudhidhu.' Again when anti-hero roles in `Amaidhi Padai' and `Mudhal Vasantham' clicked he toed the same line. Of late you see him mimicking people, having a dig at all and sundry and a good laugh at himself. But such moves do put him in a spot — Vijayakant didn't quite enjoy Satyaraj imitating him (in `Maha Nadigan'), you heard. "He was misinformed. We are the best of friends now," smiles Satyaraj. "Mimicking is an art ... just harmless fun," he adds.
The other genre
You notice the actor's yearning for realistic roles when he says: "Commercially I can't do the usual hero roles any more. So I found a slot for myself in catty middle-aged roles. [That excellent role in `Maaran' where he plays the anguished father who loses his son in a ragging fracas is an exception.] But I'm also the same actor who made impact-making films like Fazil's `Poovizhi Vaasalilae,' Mani Ratnam's `Pagal Nilavu' and Kamal Hassan's `Kadamai Ganniyam Kattuppaadu.'" The urge to feature in festival entries at the national and international fora has brought Satyaraj and director Jayabharathy together. Initially intended as a cross over film in English, Jayabharathy's `A One Time Brother' will now be made in Tamil as `Kurukshetram' with Satyaraj. "I will be working with Lenin next," he says. Satyaraj is confident that son Sibi will go places as hero. "He's a hard worker and he has the drive. A reason for my not scaling dizzying heights in cinema is that I've never had great aspirations. Whatever I've got I feel is much more than what I deserve." You try to disagree but he goes on, "I mean it. But Sibi is not like me. Always a fighter, he can never settle for a second place," he says.
Unfazed by criticism and frank in self-assessment, thankfully this diehard atheist is the same engaging conversationalist you had first met about five years ago.
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Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
