Where Simbu scores
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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With `Manmadhan' hitting the bull's eye, Silambarasan is all set to move on to `Vallavan.'
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SITTING PRETTY: Silambarasan's attempt at direction has showcased his skill as a maker. -- PHOTO: S. R. RAGHUNATHAN
Self-confidence is Silambarasan's middle name. Understandable. At eight he was a hero and at 23 he is a happening actor, writer and auteur! The first came on a platter because he is filmmaker T. Rajendar's son but the rest are achievements all his own. `Manmadhan' showed that beyond the action, gimmickry, prance and romance on screen, is a thinking hero who can conceive a suspenseful plot and narrate it with enough tempo (Wariness made Simbu give the credit to A. J. Murugan in the titles) A chat the with young man who talks with gusto about his next project, `Vallavan' ...
As Simbu enters the room profusely apologising for having made you wait for a while, you are at once struck by the distinct change in his appearance. Lean and lanky, he is anything but the rugged hero that you see in the stills of his just to be released `Thotti Jaya.' "I've been skipping dinner and eating very little lunch for the past two months, because the first segment of `Vallavan' has me playing a Plus Two student," he laughs.
`Vallavan' will have the hero doing four different characters. "It will stir a chord in the audience's mind, because it will have experiences which most of us would have gone through. `Manmadhan' did it and that's why it was such a hit. In the scene where I slap the girl who plans to make a cuckold of me, the hall reverberated with applause only because I allowed her to feign innocence for some time. I knew the audience would want me to hit her hard. I got them worked up to a frenzy and when I finally did what they were waiting for, they cheered. It's plain psychology. In `Vallavan' too I have a twist, which I hope will work. If it does then it's a winner," he smiles.
With the success of `Manmadhan' expectation about Simbu the filmmaker has increased ... "I know I have to live up to it in `Vallavan.' It's giving me sleepless nights ... " Devout as he is, Simbu believes he is blessed. "I believe He is guiding me," he says.
Simbu is sure that Yana Gupta's item number or Mandira Bedi's sexy gyrations alone did not make `Manmadhan' a runaway hit. "That's for the gloss and overall sheen of the film. But you have to touch the feelings of the viewer at some point. Mere glam won't sell."
Simbu's style is more on the lines of Shankar's. "Right. I enjoy films like `Million Dollar Baby,' but I prefer to make films that dazzle you with their hi-tech richness, and music and also convey a message. And I'm very clear about my target audience ... my films should reach the youth." The discouragement he faced from many a quarter during the making of `Manmadhan' is an old story now.
Heroines galore
`Manmadhan' had Jyotika, Sindhu Dhulani, Mandira Bedi and others. `Vallavan' will have `Kadhal' Sandhya, Nayantara, Reema Sen ... "In `Manmadhan, each actress's presence was justified. The casting was perfect. It will be the same in `Vallavan.' Without these three girls there can be no Vallavan, because it is a story that shows how the hero emerges winner in love," he says. Surprisingly, in `Manmadhan' Simbu dared to show girls as nymphomaniacs (Jyotika was an exception) but the film has only increased the number of his female fans. " I've changed my phone number twice after `Manmadhan,'" laughs Simbu.
Why direction
"Let me make it clear ... I have taken up direction only to establish myself as an actor ... to show the dimensions I can portray. And certain things have to be done soon... In another two years I cannot pass off as a schoolboy, which I will be in a part of `Vallavan.' When I have the story to project me in various ways and when the producer wants me to direct, I will. Otherwise I'm an obedient hero while working under other directors. `Thotti Jaya' is director Durai's film and it has come out well. I've not interfered in any way ... you can check it out."
Yuvan Shankar Raja's music was one of the selling points of `Manmadhan' ... "Yes. His is a major contribution. Our rapport is great.
If he doesn't like certain scenes he tells me so and it's the same if I find something missing in his music. Though I have an ear for music, with composers like Yuvan and Harris Jayaraj to help me I don't feel the need to take on the added onus of composing." Simbu's maturity far belies his age.
"I love cinema and I'm a workaholic. Editing, cutting trailer shots, singing, sitting at the studio with Yuvan or Harris, or shooting, I have to keep doing something in cinema always," he confesses. Such is his obsession — but one that is fetching rich dividends.
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