I will not try to get tax exemption at the cost of my film: Sasikumar

Of all the films that he has acted in so far, Sasikumar considers his upcoming Kidaari as the one film which he could have directed. ���Its core is something that I have wanted to make as a film. So, I was impressed that director Prasath Murugesan had chosen something that I had in mind and had spun a story out of it,��� begins the actor-director, who claims that acting in the action entertainer was a different experience for him. ���If you see all my other films, the story will revolve around my character and the other characters would be woven around mine. But in this one, the hero is one among the many characters who drive the story,��� he says.

This is why, he adds, the team has come up with individual teasers focussing on each of these characters. ���Every character in the film drives the plot in one way or the other. We wanted people to know a little bit about Kombaiya Pandiyan, Chemba, Loganayaki and the other characters before they come to the theatre because they will then start seeing the actors as these characters,��� he says.

The word kidaari, he says, has different meanings in different regions, and in the region (Sattur, near Kovilpatti) that the film is set in, it means a rough-and-tough guy. ���The hero���s name is Kidaari. He is a guy who will be casual, laughing with you and making fun, but his mood can turn in an instant and he can become really angry,��� he says.
He reveals that acting in Bala���s Thaarai Thappattai was what gave him the confidence to accept this new film. ���Earlier, I used to draw a circle around myself and limit myself in terms of the characters that I do.

Even when I listened to a script, I used to see if I would be comfortable acting in it and then agree to it. Thaarai Thappatai showed me that I can push myself as an actor, and will be able to adapt to the demands of the script,��� he elaborates.

He admits that he is part of the decision-making process even in the films where he is only an actor. ���I don���t like poking my nose where it doesn���t belong. But, yes, I do suggest things in the films that I act in. I see filmmaking as team work. Once a director signs me up, I journey along with them during the entire filmmaking process. I sit in during story discussions, offer casting suggestions, and during the shoot, discuss the next day���s scenes elaborately with the director and the cinematographer. But these discussions will all be around how to make the film better. I see this only as a healthy support system for the director,��� he clarifies.

For someone who claims to make films for the entire family, the violence in his films has been striking. But Sasikumar says that this is because he also has to keep in mind the people who come to his films because of Subramaniapuram. He feels that the intent with which violence is shown matters most. ���There is violence around me, and I can���t do anything about it. We see it daily in our news. Through all my films, I���m trying to tell my audience not to take up violence. Some choose to convey this message in a soft manner, but I scare my audience into realising how violence can destroy one���s life,��� he justifies, and adds that the debate over whether it is society that is influenced by cinema or cinema that gets its inspiration from society is an unending one, and that both sides will continue to blame the other.

But he is clear that he will not dilute a film just to get a ���U���certificate, which helps it to get tax exemption. ���Even with Kutti Puli, we refused to tone down the violence to get the ���U��� certificate, and settled for ���UA���. Thaarai Thappattai was ���A���. For me, the film has to stay true to its genre. I think this dilemma wouldn���t be there if all the films are taxed. Certification impacts your business but I will not try to get tax exemption at the cost of my film,��� he signs off.