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Upbeat mood: ‘Thalaivaasal’ Vijay

“It’s a beautiful project. Coming to work here is gratifying because I feel so much at home with Prakash and Radha Mohan [director]. But right now I’m waiting with bated breath for ‘Bheema’s release,” he smiles.

Making his presence felt amidst performers of the calibre of Vikram and Prakash Raj, must’ve been quite a task. “It was. But I’ve worked hard,” says Vijay. ‘The person standing opposite you for a shot is also an actor like you,’ is a maxim Vijay learnt as a student at the film institute. And friend Nasser would often remind him of it. “The thought helped me much when I acted with Kamal Hassan and Sivaji Ganesan in ‘Thevar Magan.’” It was Kamal who recommended Vijay for the role. On the first three days of shoot Ganesan said little. “On the fourth, however, when the scene warranted my walking in a sozzled state to my ‘dad’s funeral, he called me after the shot and queried, ‘Are you really drunk?’ When I hastily said ‘No,’ Ganesan turned round to Kamal and said, ‘He was so natural!’ Kamal’s smiling response was, ‘Institute product Sir!’” Vijay played Kamal’s elder brother and Ganesan’s son in the film.

He was ecstatic when he heard from Lingusamy that Harris Jayaraj felt a silent yet striking performer in ‘Bheema’ is ‘Thalaivaasal’ Vijay. “I couldn’t sleep that night. More than money, it is accolades that keep an artist going. I’m indebted to Lingusamy for the freedom he gave me. I’m equally comfortable with directors Selva [who introduced him in ‘Thalaivaasal’] and Agathiyan,” he says.

Long before Agathiyan became director he introduced himself to Vijay as a fan and film aspirant, and said, “I have a role for you in a story I’m working on. I’ll come back to you when I get a chance to make it.” And he did. The film was ‘Kadhal Kottai,’ a runaway hit in which ‘Thalaivaasal’ Vijay played an auto rickshaw driver. “Recently when Agathiyan began ‘Nenjathai Killadhae,’ he called me up and said I had to be present on the first day of shoot for a role. I was touched.”

The bane of being a character actor in cinema is it involves an endless wait on the sets. Especially for those like Vijay, who had worked as deputy manager, marketing, with Apollo Hospitals, before he got into the world of grease paint. “Initially I would feel annoyed. But once I understood the problems of production I began to take it in my stride. And Giri, my friend and guide who handles my dates, is always around to instil a sense of equanimity in me. I read a lot on the sets. I’ve enrolled myself for a Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Therapy & Sports Medicine, and will be taking the exam soon,” says Vijay.

The news isn’t surprising because, having been an avid gymnast himself he’s grooming his kids in Sports, viz., Swimming. “Just today my son Jaywant has bagged a gold at the South Zone Swimming competition going on in Bangalore, which makes him the Best Swimmer in the South. And my daughter Jayaveena who’s also there has won two silver medals,” smiles the proud papa and adds: “I’m a contented man.”

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