During his visit to the Chennai DC office for his forthcoming Tamil film’s promotion, Arya, the tall and handsome hunk of Kollywood, talked to us exclusively about his upcoming Malayalam film Double Barrel and his association with Prithviraj.
Arya, who started off his acting career in Tamil, is one of the most sought-after heroes in Kollywood. The actor will be seen in Lijo Jose Pellissery’s upcoming multi-starrer Double Barrel. “This will be my second outing in Malayalam after Urumi. Lijo is a crazy guy, a genuine director. He visualises the whole film while narrating. But to be frank, I found it hard to understand what he tried to convey. But later on, I found it very interesting,” Arya reminisces.
The actor will be sharing screen space with Prithviraj for the second time. Also, he is turning producer in Malayalam by joining Prithviraj’s production house August Cinemas.
Arya considers Lijo to be an exceptional director. “I really liked working with him. He is a phenomenal director. Also, Prithviraj and Santhosh Sivan were supportive. Since I have worked with them before in Urumi, I found it easy in the sets.”
Arya is also acting in the Tamil remake of Bangalore Days and plays Dulquer’s role in the film. “Bangalore Days was such a beautiful film and if we can recreate even 75 to 80 per cent of the film, it’ll be a success. I didn’t copy Dulquer but did it in my own way,” he avers.
When asked to name his favourite Malayalam star, he diplomatically said, “Mohanlal and Mammootty are superstars in their own right and you can’t choose one over the other. Both have done some path-breaking films.”
Despite hailing from Trikaripur near Payyanur in Kerala, Arya’s home turf as far as his movie career is concerned is Kollywood, “I grew up in Chennai and started my career here. I don’t do many Malayalam films because it affects my movies in Kollywood, when they are dubbed and released in Tamil Nadu.”
Questioned about not achieving the superstar tag, Arya says that you can’t force anyone to like you. “Without a filmi background, I have completed 25 films and it’s a big deal for me. But after all these years, producers and directors have become my good friends.”
How do you choose roles? “There is no particular set of rules for me. If I think I am capable of doing a certain role, I will definitely do it.”
Arya, who is seen in multi-starrers, feels that there is a positive vibe in such films. “It is fun and at the same time healthy too. I go by my gut feeling while choosing my scripts and am not bothered about who’s acting alongside me. Hence, I don’t mind doing multi-starrers. Moreover, I am a friendly person and can’t say no when someone approaches me for multi-starrers.”
Quizzed about his marriage plans, he smiles and says, “Everybody asks me when I’m going to get hitched. But I myself don’t know.”
