Actors Kalidas Jayaram and Dushara Vijayan, who played an incompatible couple in Pa Ranjith’s film Natchathiram NagargiradhuIn recent years, he has taken a much more exploratory path. Even though he has started playing important roles in mass entertaining films, he seems to be working with the same approach: playing characters that can create an impact regardless of their time on screen.
Kalidas has been vocal about this approach since the 2018 Malayalam film Poomaramand his characters in Tamil from 2020 Pava Kadhaigal He too has reflected on it. “I still follow it,” he says with a smile, adding that he is confident of the impact of roles based on the feeling he gets while listening to the script. “No matter how many people sit to hear the story or how many people give their opinion on the project, it is that feeling that works for me,” he says.
However, Dushara seems to be balancing relatively niche efforts such as Natchathiram Nagargiradhu With big star entertainers like Dhanush RayaanRajinikanth’s Vettaiyan and Vikram’s Veera Dheera SooranShe says she only chooses from the roles that are offered to her. “When the audience comes out of the theatres, they should remember my character. And I am also making sure that my choices are not monotonous but versatile,” she adds.
with Rayaan – which also stars Aparna Balamurali, SJ Suryah, Selvaraghavan and Sundeep Kishan – releasing on the 26th, Kalidas and Dussehra get candid in this free-wheeling discussion. Some excerpts:,
Dushara Vijayan and Kalidas Jayaram | Photo Credit: @dushara_vijayan/Instagram and special arrangement
What went through your mind when you were selected for ‘Raayan’ and what can you tell us about the character you play?
KalidasaWhen Dhanush sir called me I was excited but I didn’t think it would happen for me. RayaanWhich was quite surprising. When he narrated the script and asked if I could do the role, I was quite surprised because he is someone I have loved watching on screen. I am playing Dhanush sir’s brother; Sandeep, Dushara, Dhanush sir and I are all a family. That’s all I can say.
DussehraSuddenly I got a call from Shreyas S (CEO of Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films) that Dhanush sir is making this film with Sun Pictures and he wants me to play a character in it. It felt like the universe was giving me a sign; I can’t talk much about my character right now.
Kalidas, Dhanush, Dushara and Sundeep Kishan in a scene from ‘Rayaan’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kalidas, most of your roles are such that you get lost in them; many people know you as Sathar, Iniyan or Prabhanjan. While this shows your calibre as an artiste, conventional heroes want to be seen differently… Are you trying to strike a balance between these two ideologies?
No, not at all. I don’t know how to move ahead in the conventional way. Obviously, only this will keep you in the industry as a hero for a long time, especially from a business perspective, but I am yet to learn all that. For now, I am just honing the actor in me.
Do you get any guidance from your father, veteran actor Jayaram, in this regard? I mean, recently he has returned to the action genre with ‘Abraham Ozler’…
I don’t ask them for guidance; for any parent, their son’s film will be the best. So they will say it’s good, even if it’s bad! I’m glad that, at the end of the day, I can sit with my parents and discuss things beyond cinema.
Kalidas with his father Jayaram and mother Aswathy Jayaram | Photo credit: @kalidas_jayaram/Instagram
Dushara, till your last release, Pasupathi and Anupama Kumar were the most experienced actors you acted with. Now, you are working with the likes of Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Vikram, Dhanush, Fahadh Faasil, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu and others in ‘Raayan’, ‘Vettaiyan’ and ‘Veera Dheera Soora’…
I felt nervous because acting alongside such legends is something I always wanted, and when it happened, I had to accept it all and stay grounded. I also felt responsible, especially because my roles in these films are not just characters I just pop in and out of; in fact, each of these roles has strong characterization. But yes, acting alongside such stars was a different experience.
Dushara Vijayan | Photo credit: @dushara_vijayan/Instagram
‘Raayan’ is directed by Dhanush, who has worked in 48 films of different filmmakers. Did you find any advantage in the fact that you were made to act by someone who understood the actor-director equation very well?
Kalidasa: Definitely. Actually, I enjoy the filmmaker in him more than the actor. I want to make a film someday – of course, I want to be an actor, but before I end my career, I want to make a film. So with such a dream, it is quite something to see an actor like Dhanush sir working so hard. It is not just about his direction, but also about his vision and how he has conceived the world around us. Directing a film of such a big scale is not easy. I have learned a lot from him and it feels like I have gone to film school for free.
DussehraI got a chance to learn a lot from him. For example, he taught me how to stand still comfortably, something you can’t do so easily. Similarly, he noticed how I would furrow my brows whenever I listened intently to something, and taught me how to listen to something without any emotion. It is very important to be present in the scene we are shooting, and that is what I learned from him.
Kalidasa: He is not someone who sits in one place and orders people through a microphone. The energy he has as a director is amazing; if he is not satisfied with something, he goes to the spot and corrects it. He strives for perfection, and does not give up until he achieves it.
Dushara, you usually do workshops and go through specific processes before shooting. When you were working on such a large-scale commercial entertainer, did your process change and did you get enough time to prepare?
I still do my workshops and take my time. When transitioning from one character to another, it’s important to understand what qualities each character has. You can’t just shoot one character and then do another the next day… at least I can’t. I need enough time to get into each character, otherwise I won’t be able to do justice to it. I do my homework and talk to directors, for example, to understand what mannerisms we can bring to the character.
Kalidas, in the last few years there has been a lot of discussion about what constitutes ‘good acting’. Does all this, consciously or subconsciously, influence your acting?
If you think about it too much, it will start affecting your work. At the end of the day, if your director is happy and your character is progressing on the graph you wanted, then you are doing the right thing. I still remember I was nervous while shooting my first shot. RayaanIt was a world I was completely new to – I play a guy from North Chennai who is very tough and hard-nosed. I kept feeling something was missing and then Dhanush sir explained it to me and gave me suggestions on what to do. After the first shot, he came and patted my back and I felt relieved; that’s how you know you’re on the right track.
Kalidas Jayaram | Photo Credit: @kalidas_jayaram/Instagram
Dushara, you have spoken before about wanting to inspire people who have dreams, since you come from a place where young women get married or have kids. There are a lot of stereotypes that work against women who want to get into cinema; what would you like to tell them about the system?
Break all those stereotypes. You can go to any lengths to do what you love. I had no cinema background, I had to deal with those harmful notions, and I had to face a lot of troubles, but I am here. If you have the confidence and patience, you will somehow get out and make a name for yourself.
‘Ryan’ will release in theatres on July 26
