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Photo: R. Ashok

FOR A hat trick Raring to go

It is quite a thing to believe when he said, “Even to get a pencil, I needed my mother’s help. When I told my father my liking for acting his advice was ‘first learn to talk’.”

Yes, he has followed his father’s advice faithfully and learned to talk, really well. His voice booms with enthusiasm. A trendsetter, he has always been known for his nonchalant demeanour and body language, which lend a unique flavour to the roles he dons.

He has been receiving acclaims for his roles since his entry as a hero in ‘Pudhiya Pathai,’ the precursor to his recent roles in ‘Azhagi,’ ‘Thendral’ and ‘Ammuvaagiya Naan.’

Probe what makes him to take an unusual high ground in his films, he rattles,

“To put it bluntly, it is the application of Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest,” he laughs and adds, “survival problems force you to make a mark of your own and I have chosen to be like this.”

“Cinema is a race where horses run and every horse has a name. A few can have the luxury of just acting while a few have to act and struggle and do something extra to establish and be a part of it,” he muses.

“But the saddest part is that, in cinema, the recognition you get is never proportionate to the struggle and hard work you put in because of the expectations you have created,” he adds.

“But life with expectations is good and enjoyable rather than life sans expectations isn’t?” He smiles with the satisfaction of getting a chance to butt in a question, instead of an answer. Typical of him.

“Like children, who play ‘sillakku’ (a blind-folded game), every artiste fixes a boundary, which is often very far, to gain self satisfaction and also fulfil fans’ expectation. But I cherish to be a creator and direction is a bit of it. Creation is my passion. Even for a cobweb, the spider needs a wall but in cinema we create from nothingness. We assume and create,” he continues.

“For the director in me, writing is a velvi. I do not write because I know, but I have learnt to write,” he says and adds that every creator should have pride (‘nalla naan’) to prove his mettle.

Ask him about his dream character or script, he gets philosophical saying dreams are not perfect and they change every night. “Initially, my dream was to act in a film and advertise my plays, as I am from the stage, as ‘cinema pugal Parthiban nadikkum nadagam.’ Next, next …..,” he trails off.

“Life is an experience. Till you travel, all is rosy. But once you reach the peak, it is finished. Nobody can sustain there forever. I love and cherish my journey. Everybody is alive till death but do they have the liveliness in their lives is the question and I try to live every moment of mine by writing and thinking and always trying to be a good human being above all the faces – actor, director and writer,” he adds.

“Innum oru manithan uyirodu irukkumvarai evanum anathaiyillai" (Till one more man is alive, nobody is an orphan)," he declares.

Parthiban says that he plans to score a hat trick with three mega hits as he is working on ‘Eleleo,’ ‘Karuppanasamy,’ a period film, and Selva Raghavan’s ’Ayirthail Oruvan.’

He also directs and plays the hero in ‘Vithagan,’ a cop story.

One cannot fail to notice a pronounced modesty about Parthiban, a characteristic of those who set their goals high.

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