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Translating promise to results

Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam

Enterprising Making a mark

Santhanam’s career in Kollywood is on an upswing. But the actor is not one to forget his roots. He concedes his popularity to the small screen.

“I owe my success to ‘Lollu Sabha.’ We had a great team for the show and I really miss it,” he says.

His sense of humour and body language in the programme went down well with the audience and in quick time he attracted the attention of those in the tinsel town.

Santhanam made his debut on silver screen through ‘Manmadhan’ and from then on he has been a regular in Silambarasan’s movies. He has also brushed shoulders with almost all the big names of Tamil film industry — Vijay, Ajith, Surya, and Dhanush. To cap them all, he played the lead in ‘Arai En 305il Kadavul.’

It has been an eventful journey in Kollywood so far for Santhanam, but the talented humorist is not the one who is going to take the bouquets to his head. “I am still new to the industry and have got miles to travel. I wish to continue working hard and leave the rest to the audience,” says the youngster humbly.

Santhanam says that his decision to play hero in ‘Arai En …’ has in no way affected his prospects as a comedian. “Same was the case with Vivek and Vadivelu. Playing the lead in a film produced by Shankar and directed by Simbudevan, who gave us ‘Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi’ was an irresistible offer. But I am continuing to play comedian in other movies.”

He does not hide his disappointment over ‘Arai En…’ not doing well as expected at the box-office. “I concentrated a lot on the movie and had to miss other offers. But these things do happen and you have to move on. As an actor I got to learn a lot and it was a special experience working with Prakash Raj.”

He has been getting offers to play lead roles but seems to be wary of accepting them as of now. “I somehow feel I had played the protagonist pretty quickly in my career. I would like to cement my place in the industry and then experiment. I have no plans of playing hero in the near future,” he says.

An ardent fan of Thangavelu and Goundamani, Santhanam wants to carve a style for himself. “I don’t mind the size of the role. For instance, my part in the film ‘Unakkum Enakkum’ is very small. But it reached the fans very well. Winning appreciation of the audience is what that matters most and in every film I try my best,” he says.

Santhanam also feels that ‘Lollu Sabha’ kind of humour — making fun of the movies and actors, or mimicry will not sell on the silver screen. “There are a host of programmes in television where the participants mimic. People might get bored if you do the same in cinema. I have stayed clear of it in films”

He admits to feeling bad for having mocked movies in ‘Lollu Sabha’ after entering the film industry. “It is difficult to make a movie, but easy to make fun of it,” he says.

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