Former assistant of Mani Ratnam and noted filmmaker-turned-actor Azhagam Perumal is in the limelight once again! He played the character of Burnabas, a Nellai native in Taramani and his heartwarming performance has been critically acclaimed.
“When Ram called me for Taramani, I didn’t comprehend that it would be such a strong one. He narrated my portions, and I just did that! Later, when I watched the whole movie, I realised Ram has stayed away from the clichés and has come out with a bold and daring film, adding conviction. His voice-overs have done magic in taking the film forward. It is high time that somebody did, and Ram has given alternative cinema a boost,” Perumal starts his conversation.
With seven films in his kitty as an actor, we ask him if the director in him has taken a backseat, pat he replies. “Many actors ask me when I would get back to direction. I will wielding the megaphone soon and I’m in the process of writing a script. I do agree there is a big gap since I got busy with my acting ventures.”
On his mentor Mani Ratnam, with whom he has worked right from Thalapathy, he says, “I got the opportunity to work with two big stars in my debut film as assistant director —Rajinikanth and Mammootty. I did the dialogues in Tamil for his Hindi film Guru. I also wrote the dialogues for the Tirunelveli portions of his Roja, Bombay and Kadal. He is very disciplined and does meticulous planning.”
The Dum Dum Dum director will be seen in an untitled movie directed by a debutant Manoj, where he is said to be attempting something new. He is also doing a film Pudhupettai 2 with Selvaraghavan and Dhanush and a film with GV Prakash. “I am not choosy about my films. Whether a villain or a father role, I want to give my 100 percent,” he concludes.
