Velaikkaran star Sivakarthikeyan says he knows his numbers but can't be compared to Rajinikanth, Vijay
Today, Sivakarthikeyan is one of the biggest stars in Tamil Nadu. He has a strong family audience base and his success rate is phenomenal. Earlier this year, a reputed award show made Rajinikanth, ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay and Sivakarthikeyan share the stage. Trade also ranks Sivakarthikeyan next to Rajinikanth, Vijay and Ajith as the Velaikkaran actor is one of the most bankable stars of Kollywood.
Sivakarthikeyan in a still from Vellaikaran. Twitter
“Definitely, it was a memorable moment for me. I don’t compare myself with Rajinikanth and Vijay because their hard work and experience in the industry are impeccable. Earlier, if it took eight hours to travel from Chennai to Trichy but the modern day cars and roads are good that I can reach my destination within four hours. The commercial path which I’m traveling now is created by them. Currently, I only see Remo’s (his previous film) box office numbers as my target," says Sivakarthikeyan.
Recently, when I met a producer, he raved about Sivakarthikeyan’s market saying even his average films are doing good business at the box office. “I think my early days in television channel is the main reason. People embraced me with open arms. I've become a household name because of Vijay TV. Even if there is any flaw, audiences are ready to give me pass mark which is a big encouragement to do something extra in my next film," smiles the actor.
Sivakarthikeyan’s biggest selling point is his uncanny humor but the actor has been stressing in various media interactions that Velaikkaran will be a serious action thriller. “You can expect comedy in Velaikkaran too but only in the initial set of scenes. The film gradually gets into the serious theme. The moment I approached Mohan Raja, told him that our film should be in his style and I was clear in that. Velaikkaran will be a Mohan Raja film with a socially responsible and relevant message," says Siva.
“As you rightly pointed out, humor is my strength and I can’t surprise audience overnight. After the rural comedy entertainer Rajini Murugan, my plan was to do an urban-centric rom-com and that’s why Remo happened. Velaikkaran will be an intense action thriller and there is a sci-fi film with Indru Netru Naalai director Ravikumar," he adds.
Like many actors, Siva also feels that cinema has become a soft target. “Alaipayuthe was a big inspiration for Bakkiyaraj to write Remo. As an individual, I’m socially conscious but really don’t know how to responsibly romance someone on screen that too in a fun rom-com. It’s like criticizing Vadivelu’s comedy saying that he spreads too much of violence," explains Siva on the stalking allegation in Remo.
“In my upcoming film Ponram, there won’t be any boozing scene. Only characters decide what an actor should do," says the actor. Sivakarthikeyan is a star who is well informed about his business and trade numbers. “I think an actor should know his market. I’ve dedicated sources to tell me authentic box office numbers of my film, it helps us what kind of films we should do," he says.
One major complaint on all the leading actors in Tamil cinema is their exorbitant remuneration and trade pundits advice them to follow Bollywood actors by working with producers on profit sharing basis. “I’m not getting into profit sharing only to maintain my relationship with producers. The strategy I follow these days agree to do a film with the initial advance amount and get the final remuneration after the shoot so that producers will not have the burden to pay high-interest rates and the budget can also be kept under control."
