‘I would love to be versatile’
SUBHA J. RAO
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tête-À-tête It has been a dream entry for actor Vinay, who wants to do various types of roles.
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Vinay Rai
Half of Tamil Nadu’s pretty young things have found a new poster boy in Jeeva, the hero of ‘Unnalae Unnalae.’ The film released in Bangalore too, and a thrilled Vinay watched as people came out looking excited. “I love this
support. So many people have walked up to me saying that they have uttered the same words (that I use in the film) in real life.” Mention Unnalae’s success and Jeeva’s demise, his voice nearly cracks. “It is a big loss to me. I shared quite a relationship with him. He believed in me, and was really patient. I owe him and his family the success that I have tasted now.”
The ticket to tinseldom
His entry into tinseldom sounds too simple to be true. He followed the predictable route of modelling, and wanted to try his luck in cinema. He was lucky as Jeeva selected him in a jiffy. Only, he had to grow a stubble to look a little older.
Here’s what made the rugby scenes in the film look so real. Vinay, who hails from Mangalore in Karnataka, has played rugby for India and his State during his five-year association with the sport.
Did he expect this kind of response to him and the film? Without sounding arrogant, he says, “I knew it was going to be big (as the shooting progressed). Such hard work cannot go waste. And, it was a great team. Jeeva was so focussed, you could not but help being influenced by him.”
“The numbers scored by Harris Jayaraj were chart-toppers, Raju Sundaram went in for choreography with an international feel and Thotta Tharani’s sets were great,” he added. As for his performance in Tamil, he improvised it, but followed Jeeva’s instructions for the second half that was set in Australia.
Was it difficult working in a language he was not familiar with? “Actually, I am quite familiar with Tamil. Most of my friends in Bangalore, where I grew up, speak the language.”
His current assignment is for a Telugu film which is a remake of the Kannada blockbuster, ‘Mungaru Male’ and has inked the deal for a Tamil film to be produced by Sathyajothi Films. As for acting in Kannada, he is giving himself some more time to sign up one. Is he scared of being typecast in lover boy roles? “Indian cinema is changing, and there are many roles out there. It just depends on who is making the film,” says the actor.
When asked about doing action films, the actor said, “Why not? I would love to be versatile. Every movie is a learning experience. It will be interesting to put your mind and body through action.”
And, where does he see himself, say five years from now? “Well. I hope to be around!” he quips.
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