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May 22, 2006 |
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Vikram comes to Mumbai
After that, even when things were going well for Vikram, he would refuse cop roles. Then, Saami came along. "The moment I saw the script, I knew it would work. After I did it, I went up to him and said, 'Don't tell me I can't act again'. He is very proud of me." Vinod isn't the only critic at Vikram's home these days. "My 12-year old son is into movies big time. He talks about how he will do a film and the kind of scenes he will have. He even prays to God to let him be a filmmaker. Then, after a gentle warning from my wife, he'll correct his prayer to 'God, please let me become an astronaut or scientist,'" he laughs.
There's a reason for his wife Shaila's censure. "She stood by my side all the years I struggled for a hit," he says. "With every flop, I'd tell her I would stop after just one more movie," he remembers. Then, Sethu happened. It ran to empty halls for seven days, before picking up and then becoming a hit. "It was a small budget film. There were 62 shows for prospective distributors, and they would cry after each showing. They would come and hug me, saying we had made a fantastic film. But when it came down to buying the film, they would ask, 'Will the audience will like it?' They all wanted the end to be changed."
Somehow, the film was released, and there was just one movie hall in Chennai with regular shows. That theatre was near a terminus. Its door would always be open, with people just walking in and out. Then, the press came out and lifted the film. "One reviewer compared it to the rare Kurunji Poo flower, which blooms once in 12 years," says Vikram. "As the movie entered the second week, someone from Abirami theatre called to tell me they were pulling the film, as there were just 25 people in the theatre. I pleaded with them and bought some time."
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