Sreenivasan: It is easy to be a hero in films

Sreenivasan is a successful scenarist, actor and director. In Padmasree Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar, he is back as the comical superstar Saroj Kumar, one of the popular characters in the 2005 blockbuster Udayananu Thaaram.

In an interview with Meghna George, he talks about why the role of the quirky superstar has been revived.

Saroj Kumar is one of the most well known characters in Malayalam cinema. How do you feel getting back into his shoes?

The thought of the film came to us when we started thinking about what should be happening to a superstar like Saroj Kumar at this point of time. He is getting old and the most challenging aspect about stardom is that once you have got it, the next question is how long it will last.

Some people can accept the changes in life in a mature way but for most others, it is never easy.

This superstar is wary of new thoughts and new experiments because he knows he won't fit into the changing scheme of things.

It is easy to be a hero in films as even a weak person can fight with any number of goons and get applauses from viewers. But Dr Saroj Kumar forces the directors to cater to his thoughts. All this makes the character very exciting.

You have focused on Saroj Kumar's personal life in this film...

Yes. In Udayananu Thaaram, it was not discussed, but there may be some interest in knowing about it like in a gossip column. We wanted to do it in an extremely humorous way.

The quirky superstar hasn't changed a bit and that is the funny element here.

Did you think of this as a sequel to Udayananu Thaaram?

No, this is not a sequel. It is just that a few characters from Udayananu Thaaram have been presented here.

In fact, Udayabhanu in this film is a busy director in Bollywood and he does not appear in the film. It is mainly about Saroj Kumar and is told in a funny way.

Pachaalam Bhasi, the character played by Jagathy Sreekumar in Udayananu Thaaram was Saroj Kumar's guru and confidant...

Pachaalam Bhasi and Saroj Kumar produce films now. Neither invests any money and the investment is done by some other persons.

Can we compare the antics of Saroj Kumar to those of our existing superstars?

I don't think so. There may be some happenings that resemble the stories doing the rounds about certain heroes. But this is an imaginative take on how a fictitious character like Saroj Kumar will respond to a particular situation. There are no plans to make fun of others.

What was the greatest challenge while scripting a film like this?

As the characters are already known to the viewers, the expectations could be huge. It can be an advantage at times and a disadvantage as well.

Your character of a staunch communist party leader in Sandesham is also hugely popular. Are there any plans to revive the character?

Actually, discussions are going on about making a political satire but it won't be a sequel to Sandesham.