On steady Ground

Bharath has reinvented himself as an actor. After the success of Kaadhal, films came to him quickly. “I’ve always tried to improve myself over the previous film. Maybe, the failed experiments have forced me to focus on what I need the most right now,” he says. He has a pretty upcoming decent line-up. “This year I complete 14 years in cinema. Ennodu Vilayadu is my 28th film in which I play a gambler. Then, I play one of the leads in Simba, a black comedy with Premgi Amaren. I also have 1000 Oru Nottu Paranja Katha in Malayalam,” he tells us.

It is quite evident that the actor has grown wary of experimentation. “I love doing a variety of roles.  I knew I was getting too serious on screen. However, I want to prove that I can deliver box office hits,” smiles Bharath, adding that he keeps asking himself — ‘What is next, and will that work with the current trend and audience?’ His experiments are not confined to Kollywood, for he did a Bollywood film called Jackpot. “I would love to become another Dhanush. In fact, I love his fine performances,” he tells us.

Has his approach to cinema changed in all these years? “Yes, I feel mature and responsible. It is no longer only about my performance, I need to pick a good script and make sure the film comes out well, gets promoted and released. Many things are at stakes.” On a quasi-philosophical note, he says he’s happy with his progress, which has been steady. “Once you give a solid hit you are in a stable place. I always believed that if you want to do something from your heart it will happen, although it might take long. All you need is patience and conviction.”

Among the actors, he loves Ajith, who has managed an amazing career path without a godfather in the industry.“I view acting as a career and I want to stay here permanently. I have always wanted to be a producer’s hero, or should we say, director’s actor,” smiles Bharath. When asked about his dream role, the dancing star says he would like to do a subtle cop role and wishes to work with Shankar and Gautham Menon.

What’s next? “I plan to keep doing more movies  at least three per year. (But only if they are script-driven and exciting, he clarifies). I make a conscious effort to try something different every time. This would mean that a film of mine gets released every third month. I want to be on people's minds,” Bharath signs off.