'Whenever Mani sir says Ash, I am like, 'Do I die in the end? Do I get her?'
Some of Vikram's cherished dreams come true with Ponniyin Selvan.
"My entry is my personal best shot ever in any film," the Tamil movie stars tells Rediff.com Contributor Mohnish Singh.
PS-1 is Mani Ratnam's dream. How responsible did you feel when this film was offered to you?
Yes, a lot of dreams have come together.
My dream is when I started acting in the movies... I had seen Roja, I had seen Bombay, I had seen Nayakan and I wanted to be in his films.
I was in college at that time. My classmate was a cousin of his. I became his friend because he was his cousin.
I used to keep asking about Mani Ratnam. That's the impact he has had on me.
There are so many movies like Mouna Ragam that I could watch over and over again. So that was a dream to work in his film.
I had thought that if I just work in his and Mr Shankar's films, I would retire. I don't want to act after that.
Please go on...
The second dream is, of course, (A R) Rahman sir is the most amazing maestro alive in music.
Someone rightly said even after 30 years, the songs that he first played are still pertinent today.
The sounds he used, the instruments, how he changed music in cinema... it's been a dream to work in his film.
And what greater dream than working in a film which both of them are there together?
The other dream I have always had, which I told Mani sir, is give me a nice role where I have this entry on a bike and you have 'Ali padi de madi' sounds, and he did not disappoint me.
He told me I was a prince, and I said great. But he said, I would only get into battle and always be covered in muck, so you have to be rugged, crude, barbarian... So that's how it was.
I was like okay, I will not have that entry.
But my entry is my personal best shot ever in any film.
I don't think I will ever have that shot again nor will I have that hair again.
You have Rahman sir, you have Thota Tharini sir, you have Ravi Varman giving their best because it's Mani sir's movie and they are all going to be in a film like produced by one of biggest production companies in India.
So what more can I ask? My dreams have come true.
It's not easy to get a combination like this because in the South, we don't have an ensemble cast. We just have a solo heroes.
I get to work with Aishwarya again after Raavan.
My only grief is that here too, I don't get her.
I play this tragic hero.
Whenever Mani sir says Ash, I am like, 'Do I die in the end? Do I get her?'
That's how it is.
