One of my biggest challenges is dealing with the stigma of being a celebrity’s son. People often talk about nepotism, and breaking those stereotypes is a real challenge,” shares Sibi Sathyaraj, who was last seen in Vattam (2022). The actor is now starring as an investigative officer in the crimethriller titled Ten Hours, which tells the story of a murder that happens on a bus one night. In an interview with us, Sibi discusses his reasons for taking breaks from acting, his thoughts on politics, nepotism and more...
‘I TAKE BREAKS TO REFLECT ON MY FILMS AND ANALYSE MY JOURNEY’Sometimes, I take breaks to reflect on the films I’ve done and analyse my journey. But in cinema, we often get busy all of a sudden, with four or five projects lined up at the same time. Sometimes, it’s because I’m not interested in certain scripts, and other times, I realise that a whole year has passed after my film’s release, including the time spent with family. These breaks are important to understand and shape myself. I use them to learn new skills, travel, read books, and spend time with my pets. With the advancement of technology, even at 70 or 80, we can still play hero roles using deaging techniques. So, I’m not worried about the gaps in my career.
‘I’m an example that there’s no nepotism in Tamil cinema’Nowadays, the word nepotism is used very casually, but in my career, with all the ups and downs that I’ve faced, I believe I’m the best example to prove that there’s no nepotism in Tamil cinema. If people saw me as Sathyaraj’s son, then all my films should have been successful. But that’s not the case — only films with good stories have done well.
‘I LOOK AT SCRIPTS THAT HAVE NOVELTY’When choosing a script, I analyse how engaging the story is, its novelty, and the scope it offers me as an actor. I look for unique elements that allow me to present something fresh. I enjoy exploring new genres. For example, Lee (2007) was the first football-based film in Tamil cinema, Naanayam (2010) was the first bank robbery film, and Naaigal Jaakirathai (2014) had a dog playing an equal role to the protagonist.
‘I WAS A SPOILED KID AT HOME’The biggest reason for the gap in my career after Lee (2007) was that I got an opportunity to work with a top Bollywood director. However, it took a long time for the project to get confirmed. I was excited about the chance to explore something new in another industry. Later, I attended an acting workshop at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. After Lee, I wanted to explore new genres, and that’s when I decided to try playing a negative role in Naanayam. After returning from the acting workshop, I realised that my performance had improved. Earlier, there was a lack of acting skills, and I carried shades of my father’s style in my acting. But the workshop helped shape me into developing something new. I was born with a silver spoon and grew up in a sheltered environment. A driver used to drop me at school, and I was raised like a pampered child, much like Chinna Thambi Kushboo. I was definitely a spoiled kid at home. My stay in the US was life-changing, and it taught me valuable lessons as I had to be independent and get out of my pampered existence.
‘NAAIGAL JAAKIRATHAI GAVE ME THE MUCH-NEEDED BREAK IN MY CAREER’Naaigal Jaakirathai was the biggest comeback film for me. If I had done more films with my father, it might have seemed like they succeeded be cause of his market value. During the initial discussions about this project, the director Shakti Soundar Rajan and I became very close — we’re still good friends today. Later, we learned about a military dog named Idoh in Bangalore, which made the project even more interesting. It gave me the much-needed break in my career.
‘WORKING WITH APPA IS JUST LIKE WORKING WITH ANY OTHER ACTOR’At the beginning of my career, working with appa (Sathyaraj) was quite challenging for me. But now, it feels just like working with any other actor and I get to learn so many things from him. Even during shoots, we travel in separate cars and have different caravans on set.
ON UPCOMING PROJECTS...Apart from Ten Hours, I also have Jackson Durai 2, which is a period horror comedy-drama, and Ranger, a thriller. Ranger is about a forest ranger trying to understand why a tiger has turned into a man-eater. The story explores the tiger’s biological and ecological nature, human-animal conflict, and has a political backdrop.
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