I owe everything to Prabhu Deva: Varun Kamal

Varun Kamal who made his acting debut in Tamil cinema with Oru Naal Iravil, is a busy man these days. With films like psycho-emotional romantic dark comedy, Vinodhan, and Jayam Ravi-starrer Bhogan in his kitty, he says he works hard to keep his acting subtle. “I love playing characters who I am actually not, in real life,” he elaborates.    

We ask what kind of role he plays in Bhogan, he smiles, “I play Jayam Ravi’s friend in the film — a cop to be more specific. I’ll be seen throughout the movie with Jayam Ravi and Arvind Swami. It’s an interesting script. I was convinced I could play the role well.  I have been hitting the gym to make myself fit for the role. In fact, I have gained 10 kilos for a beefed-up look. The first schedule of shooting is on and we have been shooting in Binny Mills. And, after wrapping this, we’ll go to Pondicherry.” Grandson of yesteryear actor Isari Velan, Varun is quite serious about acting. “Each film is a great learning experience for me. I want to do more challenging roles and films that are commercially viable. I want to be known as a serious actor. First, I have to convince myself that I am a good actor,” he tells us.

We ask him if he has any qualms about being part of multi-starrers. He says, “See, I am not a hero. I am an actor. An actor can appear in any character, while the hero will have a fixed format. All my focus now is on my characters.”

All praise for dancer-actor-choreographer Prabhu Deva, Varun says, “Whatever I am today is because of Prabhu anna. He is my biggest pillar of support. I owe everything to him. He referred me to the director of Vinodhan after he saw my performance in my debut film. Even Bhogan was offered to me only because of him. He keeps encouraging and motivating me, which is something quite nice,” he concludes.