Meet Pattiyal star Bharath
But it was in Chellame that you got a chance to really perform. How much did the success of the film help you develop as an actor?
Chellame gave me the confidence that I could act. It also made others look at me as an actor, not a dancer. Gandhi Krishna, the director, was an associate of Shankar's and had seen me as one of the boys. Over a year after Boys happened, he called and said, 'I am making a movie where you are not the hero, but the title of the film is on you.' I didn't understand what he really meant, but I accepted the film.
Were you confident of handling such a complex character -- that of an obsessive young lover?
I wasn't very confident, but I accepted the film because the director had confidence in me. I felt it was a good opportunity for me to show everyone I could act. Till then, I was looked at only as a dancer.
Did that observation hurt you?
I took those comments as a challenge. By the time I got a chance to act in Chellame, I was much more mature, not the teenager who danced in Boys. It was very challenging to do the role of a young boy in Chellame as I was no longer a teenager. Physically, I had to look like a 16-year old. So, I lost a few kilos and had a short crew cut.