Sathyaraj sir treated me like his son on sets: Varun Kamal

“I have always wanted to become an actor — so I started equipping myself, right from my college days. I know a bit of dancing, fighting etc. I had to gain about 15 pounds extra for the role, and am glad that I got to share screen space with a veteran like Sathyaraj sir in my first film. He was really supportive, and treated me like his son when we were shooting,” he quips.

Ask him how he was roped in for this film, and Varun says, “I know AL Vijay anna from his Thalaiva days. I was really interested in filmmaking and the whole process. I used to spend my days on the film sets. So, when he asked me if I would be interested in doing the Tamil remake of the Malayalam film Shutter, I was quite happy. In fact, he suggested that I gain weight and grow beard to suit my character in the film. As the title suggests, the movie revolves around the happenings in a single night.”

Grandson of Isari Velan, a yesteryear actor, Varun is also playing a lead role in Vinodhan, a psycho emotional romantic dark comedy, bankrolled by actor-choreographer-director Prabhu Deva. “I play a guy, who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I think people are ashamed to accept they have OCD because they are scared of the outside world. I could do more justice to the role as I have OCD in real life as well. When audiences see the film, they can relate to it,” he tells us.

Varun is not in a hurry to sign scripts and says he wants to take it slow. “I am open to all scripts but first, I want to establish myself as an actor, who’s capable of doing varied roles. I am learning and loving this phase. I don’t restrict myself to anything. Every challenge has been a new one so far, but I don’t want to do too many films. I am waiting for Vinodhan’s release. Based on the reviews I get, I will be deciding my future projects,” he signs off.