Remember Vimal sir aka Java sir, who taught the “simple but powerful” Java script, in Premam (2015)? The awkward character played by Vinay Forrt won people’s hearts and continues to be popular. Vinay, however, has moved on and will soon be seen in yet another character from the world of academia: Professor Sreenivasan.
His scholarly look in Thamaasha, set to hit theatres on June 5, includes a tuft of fuzzy hair on his bald pate and fine flyaway hairs above his ears. Vinay admits it was a challenge to recast himself to play Prof Sreenivasan, but seems pleased with the result.
“I have been Vimal Sir for four years now. There are some characters and films that remain in people’s minds forever and Thamaasha I think will leave a mark. My career will be defined as before and after Thamaasha.”
The film deals with body shaming on social media and the resultant psychological distress and Vinay plays a professor who has to cope with thinning hair and its impact on his love life.
“Body shaming impacts peoples’ lives,” says the actor, adding, “Social media has a positive side, especially for a guy like me who does lots of small films and uses the medium for it. “A healthy discussion is fine but trolling to hurt, shame, criticise viciously is unacceptable.”
His experience of hate and shaming on social media comes from Instagram when he witnessed a brutal assault on an actor who had posted her photos on the medium. “People began a discussion of her body. I could imagine how humiliated her family would feel. And this is not a single case.”
Vinay admires actors who carry off their natural look with confidence and do not hide baldness or receding hairlines by wearing wigs. These are not matters that should define people, he says, adding, “That’s a big thing. A wig is important for a character in a film but not in real life. We are not perfect; we all have our limitations.”
During his stint in theatre, Vinay worked in a range of jobs: waiting tables at a café, as a medical store assistant, and even door-to-door marketing. These experiences, he says proudly, have given him a corpus of characters that he can draw inspiration from when he signs a new role. “I go back and search from these roles that I have lived,” he reflects.
He has been in films for a decade now and been acclaimed for his variety. Apart from Premam, his notable films are Shyamaprasad’s Ritu (2009), The Blueberry Hunt (2016) with Naseerudin Shah in the lead and Shutter (2012), in which he played an auto driver. Despite being acclaimed for the variety of roles, Vinay could not make an impact in lead roles, something he believes Thamaasha will set right.