They may be adversaries on screen but in real life the bonhomie and friendship between Fahadh Faasil and Sivakarthikeyan is apparent in the way they talk in whispers, laugh at some private joke or pull each other’s legs — completely at ease, all when fifty-odd cameras are trained on them. Fahadh and Sivakarthikeyan were in Kochi to promote their Tamil film Velaikkaran releasing on December 22. This is Fahadh’s debut in Tamil. The film looks at the life of workers and is made on an emotional plane with current social issues being discussed. Filmmakers hope that it will strike a chord with every worker in any field. Fahadh plays Aadhi and Sivakarthikeyan is Arivu. They have two different perspectives on workers and are at loggerheads with each other.
Sivakarthikeyan starts off the conversation by hailing Fahadh as an international actor and when Fahadh raises his eyebrows, he goes on to explain why. “I have watched Fahadh’s films and know what a good actor he is. Working with Fahadh was a great learning experience. I thought to myself that this was his first time in Tamil and that he would find it difficult to speak the language, especially when the dialogues were 8-9 pages long. But Fahadh handled the dialogues amazingly well. It was challenging to match Fahadh’s acting and I hope I have matched up!” he narrates.”
Fahadh speaks about the language barrier. He says, “The dialogues were more than nine pages. I used to write the dialogues in English and then learn them. Before the shooting started, I had some doubts about speaking Tamil because it is easy to perform in the language you think in. In Malayalam, I can improvise and acting is easy because I think in Malayalam but for Velaikkaran, I had to prepare for a role, which is a first for me. ‘It is just a language man, you can do it!’ is what Mohan sir told me casually.” Fahadh jests, “I am going to do one more film in Tamil and hopefully my Tamil should improve by then.”
Fahadh was on a break after Maheshinte Prathikaram, when director Mohan Raja came to him with the script of Velaikkaran. “I had just one condition that my next role be one I had not attempted before, and language was no bar, which is when Velaikkaran came to me. It is a film I would have done even if it was in Malayalam. At the end of the day, it is important to act in a film I love.” It is only natural for the question to be popped — When would Sivakarthikeyan be debuting in Malayalam? As if anticipating this question, Sivakarthikeyan answers, “It would be great if I could start off with Fahadh as my co-star as I am comfortable with him and do not know Malayalam.”
When someone from the audience suggested that Fahadh speak to his father Fazil about casting them together and making Sivakarthikeyan’s wish come true, Fahadh’s tongue-in-cheek answer was, “Shall I ask my father tomorrow morning or do you want me to ask him right now?” Fahadh and Sivakarthikeyan share a very close relationship — that is there for all to see. Sivakarthikeyan expresses his opinion of Fahadh — one only someone very close to him can gather, “Fahadh’s thought process is very different and his approach to a film is very different from mine. Though he acts in serious films, Fahadh has got a great sense of humour. We are complete contrasts but also close friends!”
Sivakarthikeyan remembers the time during Velaikkaran’s shooting, held in Malaysia when the stars did not have caravans of their own and shared a room. “We took two bed sheets, spread it on the floor and talked at length about life. That is how our friendship started,” he reveals. Both of them showered lavish praise on the female lead Nayanthara, calling her an utter professional. Director Mohan Raja too gets heaps of praise from both actors with Fahadh mentioning that Mohan taught him a lot about conceiving a scene.
