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'I'm in awe of how secure he is, as an actor, performer and director.'
Telugu actor Sundeep Kishan didn't think twice before taking up Raayan.
"Choosing to become a part of Raayan was a no-brainer because it was Dhanush's 50th film, and he was offering me a part that he had written for himself. I thought it was an incredible compliment. I felt I had to do justice to it, more than even having to think if it was the right decision to make," Sundeep tells Subhash K Jha.
Transitioning to Tamil is not a big deal for Sundeep.
"As far as Tamil cinema is concerned, my biggest ambition is to be known and liked by everybody. So this was an incredible opportunity to reach out to a majority or almost all of the Tamil audience with a character which has potential for an incredible performance, hoping I have done a good job with it.
"This is a film that I've done for the joy of the craft and for being a part of great cinema. What I am today or the way I've pulled off roles or that I've come forward on my career so far is because of some really loyal fans who stood by me during terrible days. It's during the bad days when you get to know the people who actually stand by you. I think Raayan is a film in which they will be really proud of me."
Sundeep is all praise for Dhanush, who also directs the film.
"He is a generous co-actor and director. It takes a lot of heart to make a 50th film where you have such an elaborate cast with each cast member having important parts. I'm in awe of how secure he is, as an actor, performer and director. It was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn from him, not just in terms of performance but about how to look at cinema and how to approach your career."
Sundeep's last release Michael was a box office failure.
"I was incredibly disappointed initially but over time, when I realised the kind of response and love the film kept getting, when I would meet people who said they're a huge fan of Michael or my character, it made me very happy. But initially, I was disappointed that I couldn't keep up my promise to my distributors. We had a lot of love for that film. We know that somewhere, we faltered in terms of the narrative, so it was very important for me to learn from it," he says.
Sundeep is confident that audiences will watch a film if it is worthy of their time, money and attention.
"Most films are performing well in theatres at the moment. Recently, we had a mega blockbuster in Kalki. The anticipation for Raayan is also huge, so I think this will be a good cash registering theatrical film. This is a film for everybody. It has great music, humour, emotions and a lot of action. It will cater to a majority of the audience.
"Just the fact that it is Dhanush's directorial... as an audience, I would be very excited to see how Dhanush will direct himself along with such a stellar cast like SJ Surya sir, Selvaraghavan sir, Kalidas Prakash Raj sir..." Sundeep says.
About his next projects, Sundeep says, "I have my next with Trinadha Rao Nakkina, who made Dhamaka. It will be a family entertainer, we haven't titled it yet. After that, I will team up with Swaroop RSJ of Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya. It will be a college action love story. After a lot of serious films, I'm finally going back to fun, happy films. There is also The Family Man Season 3, which I'm very excited about."
