The critically acclaimed blockbuster film Por Thozhil is now out on SonyLIV. Starring Ashok Selvan, Sarathkumar and Nikhila Vimal in key roles, the film is a nail-biting hunt for a serial killer. As the silent senior officer with a troubled past, Sarathkumar anchors the plot with his magnificent performance. In an interview with Moneycontrol, the actor spoke about his experience of working in Por Thozhil, how he chooses his scripts and more. Excerpts below:
You've had a big year so far with Varisu, PS-2 and Por Thozhil apart from other films. What do you look for in a script before saying yes?
The script should have something that allows me to explore my capacity as an actor. My talent should be exposed, and the audience should be able to relate to the film. It should be an entertainer, and by that I don’t mean that it has to be a blockbuster. It should add some value to the audience too, not just to my career. They should enjoy the film.
Also read: ‘Por Thozhil’ director Vignesh Raja on the making of his Tamil serial-killer blockbuster film
Your character Loganathan doesn't speak much and there's only a hint of his painful past in the film. But did director Vignesh Raja flesh out his background for you or did you come up with something yourself that helped you play the role?
Vignesh had written a very good script, and he painted a clear picture of Loganathan for me. In fact, everything in the film, from Ashok Selvan’s character to the relationship we share, was written out well. I’ve been telling people that in recent times, Vignesh is one director I’ve seen who comes to you with the entire storyboard that even includes what lens should be used when shooting the scenes. Every shot was drawn. Everything was laid out in front of me when he narrated the script. He also had a speaker that played the different moods of the scenes. I knew right then that he was made of good stuff! He’s an engineering graduate who came to filmmaking, just like Gautham Menon. And I must say that these guys come up with different kinds of scripts.
Ashok Selvan's Prakash has a contrasting personality to your character in the film. How did you both work together to establish that chemistry?
I met Ashok Selvan for the first time on the sets of Por Thozhil. He is known for selecting good scripts. That’s his USP and he’s appreciated by the audience for it. I can tell you that he’s here to stay. He was looking for a different kind of break at this stage in his career, and on the very first day, we eased into a rapport. Vignesh narrated the story and we started discussing how we both would play our respective characters, share screen space and so on. Vignesh told me that the serial killer was going to surprise me in a scene, and that Ashok would take over – would that be okay? Well, anyone can surprise anyone. Goliath can be brought down by David, after all.
The first scene we did together, we hit it off. This is when I tell him that we’re going to investigate a double murder and he asks me who is the killer. Off screen, too, all of us have become quite close and we meet whenever possible. We even have a Por Thozhil group where we chat!
Vignesh Raja is a debut director while you've been in the industry since the '80s. New directors often feel intimidated when they're working with senior people in the industry, and I'm sure it isn't easy for someone with so much experience to completely trust a newbie too. How did you work out a comfort level on the sets?
When a director comes to me and narrates the script, I take him as the captain of the ship. I don’t do anything to deter him, intimidate him or make him feel that I’m a senior artist. I don’t try to make any changes in the script or alter his point of view. Once I listen to a script narration and agree to do it, I don’t interfere with it.
While shooting, I did offer a few suggestions and if he disagreed with it, he explained why. Whatever he wanted Loganathan to be, I think I was. The very first shot of me where I have my back to the camera was very interesting and showed who Loganathan was. It’s Vignesh’s film all the way and kudos to him. I hope he becomes a very big director.
While shooting the film, it might be difficult to predict what will work for the audience and what won't. But when you watched Por Thozhil as a finished product, what about it impressed you the most?
The narration was so gripping, and brought me to the edge of my seat. I was glued to the screen. It was very clear even when we were dubbing that we were on the right track. Did I know it was going to be a blockbuster? No. But I knew that we had made a good film. We were satisfied with it, and next it was for the audience to judge. We thought the audience would like the film but not to the extent that they did.
You're among the few male actors in Tamil who've played the hero but eased into playing your age on screen for a while now. Did that decision happen organically?
I took a sabbatical from cinema when I got into politics. I then decided that my passion and my bread and butter were both my profession – acting. So after my stint in politics, I wanted to take up good and relevant characters. I did films like Vaanam Kottattum (2020), Varisu (2023), PS-1 and 2 (2022, 2023). There are a few more upcoming films too. I’m happy with what I do and I’m learning even now to be a better actor. I watch a lot of films, and every day, I learn. I keep myself up to date. I’m even thinking of going to San Francisco to take a refresher (acting) course for a month. I’m geared up to do something good, and want to be recognized more than what I am today.
If you had to pick the top five roles from your career spanning nearly 40 years, which films would you pick?
There are films that didn’t do well at the box office that are special to me. Like Dasarathan (1993), Aravindan (1997)...there are so many I can pick. These films became a craze after they came on TV, but I don’t know why they didn’t work in theatres. Then there was Suya Vamsam (1997) – the role I played was done by Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi remake. The film’s record for maximum footfalls in Tamil Nadu theatres is yet to be broken. It ran for almost a year. In February 1994, two of my films in which I acted as the hero – Aranmanai Kaavalan that was shot in Mumbai and Captain that was shot in Hyderabad – released on the same day because both the producers were adamant about the release date. Both the films ran for 100 days and that’s a credit for any actor. I think people still believe I can do relevant films. They are keeping me alive and I should thank them for it.
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