Don't want to get trapped in comedy: Vinay Forrt

Most actors would cash in on a hit film and ride on the success wave. But after his comic scenes in Premam became a hit, Vinay Forrt chose to take a U-turn and do serious films. The reason, he says, is not to let himself get trapped in the comfort of comedy. The actor, who is a known name in theatre and offbeat film circles, speaks about why he has cut down on films now, the need for small budget films and his TV stint.
It is more than a year since Premam released, but your line 'Java Simple aanu' from the film is still a rage'
Well, to be honest, those comic scenes worked out because of the director's brilliance.Some magic too happened. I'm thankful to people who appreciated the role but then, I started getting a multitude of characters on the same lines. Comedy is very difficult to do, but it is also very easy to get trapped in the comfort of doing comedy. I wanted to break out of it at that point of time.
And how did you do it?
Luckily, I got to do the film Kismat immediately after Premam. It was like therapy for me as it is a realistic movie. It is based on a real incident which happened in Ponnnani. I play an SI of a police station, someone with grey shades, and not a stylised policeman. The movie has been directed by a friend of mine, Shanavas. It is a small budget film made in a small canvas and will be released by the end of July. The crew were all friends so I could experiment with my character.
So do your prefer offbeat cinema over commercial in your heart of hearts?
It's just that I want to grow as an actor and don't want to stick to any one genre. Only the variety of characters I get will make me more mature as an actor. With every film you have to progress. An actor is a product, which should be sold to as many people as possible and for that we have to keep doing films. At the same time, the artiste in me should be satisfied. So I am trying to strike a balance between commercial and serious cinema. Only if I get a character I know nothing about, will I work hard for it.
Is there any such character you did, which you knew nothing about?
My character Harishchandran in Godse is one such. The story is set in the 90s when Akashavani was still popular, and Harishchandran is a radio host who is always drunk. One day he is made to do a show on Gandhism and his life takes a different turn. I had to portray his emotional journey. My characters in Premam or Shutter were somewhere inside me but not Harishchandran, as I don't touch drinks. So it was very challenging as an actor and I had to put in a lot of effort. For the same reason it was a dream role for me and my best work so far. I hope I get the results.
What else is coming up?
I'm awaiting the release of Avarude Ravukal. I have also signed a film called Rameshavilasam. Srinda and I do the lead roles. The director is a friend of mine, Vineeth, who started off in the light boys' unit. It is a realistic movie and deals with a common man's problems. My character is a lazy guy.
I also have Siddique's Jayasurya film coming up, titled Lucky. It will begin in September.
It looks like big names are coming forward to help smaller films these days, right?
Very true. Their contribution is immense and if not for them, many of these films won't see the light. This actor called Manikandan has been doing theatre for 12 years but people knew about him only because Rajeev Ravi cast him for Kammattippadam. Alongside 25 crore movies, we need smaller films as well, because that is where new talents come up. They should be allowed to have a decent run as well, or else others won't attempt such films.
Why did you choose to host a TV show?
Films actually reach only a certain section of people. There is a huge TV watching crowd and being a TV host helped me reach out to them. I don't have any commitments there and can have fun and meet new people.
Also, I have cut down on the number of films l do. Out of 20 scripts I listen to, I take up only one. This is because I owe a certain quality to the people who come to theatres on seeing me in the posters. In a movie hall, they have no option if my performance is intolerable. But on TV, they can always change channels!