Shanthnu Bhagyaraj speaks on Aayiram Vilakku
Contrasting with the soft romantic roles played in his first two films, Shanthnu Bhagyaraj is all set for a image makeover. For the first time, the actor will play a Madurai-based don, a typical mass action hero, in Aayiram Vilakku directed by Hosimin of February 14 fame. In this film, Sathyaraj plays an aging gangster who meets an ordinary coolie (Shanthnu) and trains him to be the next big ganglord to take revenge on his enemies. The music of Aayiram Vilakku was launched recently in a grand event at Sathyam Cinemas.
"I play a character that is in total contrast to my real self. I thank director Hosimin, who had the conviction that I would be apt to play Gopal, a local from Madurai. When I heard the script, I was very impressed and grabbed the opportunity. After starting the actual shooting, I realised that it was not as easy as I thought. I did a lot of homework for this film. I went to Madurai for the first time and spoke to a lot of people there and learnt their slang. Even for dubbing, one of the director’s friends, who is from Madurai, taught me every dialogue and its pronunciation," Shanthnu said to a�leading daily.
"Initially, I was very nervous to work with Sathyaraj sir. He plays a powerful don whose character changes after he meets me. I have always known him as Sibi’s dad and was very apprehensive about how I would look next to him onscreen. But believe me, he was so down-to-earth from day one and made me feel so comfortable. He asked me to treat him like a newcomer once the camera was switched on. He instilled a lot of confidence in me and that’s the reason we were so comfortable with each other," he added.
