Santhanam on Lingaa and his working experience with Rajinikanth

Santhanam is one of the very few actors who is unanimously loved by all his contemporaries in the industry and film buffs, especially youngsters. With an ear for crackling punchlines and a penchant for amusing body-language, Santhanam has emerged as an ultimate entertainer in the last decade and the most in-demand comedian in Tamil cinema. In this exclusive chat to Only Kollywood, Santhanam reflects on his career, talks about Lingaa, his eagerness to join hands with Ajith in Thala 56 and more. 

Santhanam rose to fame as a telly actor through the cult TV series Lollu Sabha, a spoof on Tamil films. From being a popular television actor to the most enjoyed comedian on screen, he has certainly come a long way. “Every role has been quite challenging so far but my transition from small screen to feature films is a huge challenge since it was a rarity a decade back. So, I had to strive to attain that feat. I honed my skills reguarly as a comedian before donning the greasepaint as the lead hero,” harks back Santhanam who recently turned a full-fledged hero in Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham, a remake of SS Rajamouli’s Telugu film Maryada Ramanna.

Santhanam ventured into production in Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya with the banner Handmade Films. And, he is quite aware of the risk factors involved in producing films. “I’m absolutely wary of every step I take in my career. You can’t be so sure about anything. It’s like space-faring to moon, where you don’t know about the living conditions precisely. My career is also like that, where I feel so safe like earth when I live as a comedian. But, the other things – donning the lead role and producer hat is risky like the living conditions in moon,” he observes.

Though Santhanam agrees that film production is a different game altogether and requires more attention and commitment, he gives a lovesome reason for his decision. “Production is definitely an exacting job, but it gives so much satisfaction. There is a team which believes in me and there are filmmakers who narrate good, content-oriented stories to me. There are talented youngsters who wish to cast me in their films. So, providing various opportunities to aspiring directors and technicians, and employment to my production people immensely satisfy me. Seeing them happy puts a smile on my face. So, the risk factor in production is not a big deal after all,” he tells us with a gracious smile.

If the Wikipedia numbers are anything to go by, Santhanam has been part of more than sixty films in the last five years alone. The longevity is simply remarkable considering the competition he’s had over the years. But, Santhanam has carefully moderated his projects now and become selective. “My work-life balance is good now. When I acted as a comedian, it was a strenuous task since I used to do  17-18 films a year. I never had time to maintain a harmonious relationship with my family. Now that I have become selective in signing my films, I have enough time to spend with my family,” Santhanam points out. “It’s also refreshing in a way that I’m able to introspect my previous works, avoid repetitions and improvise with new body language. If I act in 18 plus movies on the trot, I’m under a compulsion to wear the same makeover since new get-ups will pose continuity problems to others. Now, I’m able to concentrate on my look for a particular film and focus on my wisecracks to deliver better ones. My comedy standards also get better when I become choosy about the films I sign up.”

All eyes are set on Lingaa, which is slated to hit screens on Rajinikanth’s birthday, 12-12-14. “My chemistry with Rajinikanth sir has come out extraordinarily well. You will get to hear punchlines that you enjoyed when I teamed up with Arya, Jiiva, Simbu or Udhayanidhi. I have a healthy wavelength with them and with Rajini sir, it’s reached a notch above. Lingaa will be entertaining. When Rajini sir utters a punch, you’ll see me throw a sharp riposte,” says Santhanam affirmatively.

“Rajini sir punch mudinji claps vanthaa aduththu en punch varum. Nanbenda-nra dialogue solra varaikum irukumna paathukonglan”

As of today, Santhanam has shared screenspace with who’s who of Tamil cinema but he still has not managed a chance to star with Kamal Haasan. “I have been longing for a chance to act alongside Kamal sir. I have taken lots of references for my films from his classics. I will definitely make sure that it will be an enjoyable combo when I join hands with him in future.”

Santhanam is synonomous with gags and catchy epithets which he delivers in his films. But, there’s a lot of thinking process which goes behind it. “I have a team with whom I sit and brainstorm before every film. We discuss, rehearse and try to empathize from the viewpoint of the audience. The same team, writers Murugan and Anand (Lollu Sabha fame) are directing my ongoing film where I play the lead hero,” Santhanam tells us.

“This film is a romantic-comedy and will be a treat to the audiences. ‘Dhilluku Dhuttu’ is not the official title. I registered ‘Dhillukku Dhuttu’ under my banner for a different film but everyone misconstrued it. The title for our current film is not fixed yet. We’re still discussing.”

Santhanam has worked with several directors in the past but nothing has come close to his collaboration with filmmaker Rajesh with whom he has produced rib-tickling entertainers like Siva Manasula Sakthi, Boss Engira Baskaran, Oru Kal Oru Kannadi. Now, he has teamed up with Rajesh again for Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga where he plays Vasu and Arya plays Saravana.

“The reason is Rajesh knows my strengths well. Naan enna nenaikrano athaan avar ezhuthuvaar, avar enna nenaikraaro antha punches thaan naan solluvan. We usually discuss thoroughly and sketch a neat character-study even before starting the film. Thala – Thalapathy term was coined when we were shooting for Siva Manusula Sakthi. We wanted to unite Ajith and Vijay sir fans with a witty concept. ‘Paartha’ character in Oru Kal Oru Kannadi was decided when Boss Engira Baskaran was still under progress. Inspired by an advertisement in a local channel, we came with ‘Kareena Chopra’ for All In All Azhaguraja during the shooting of Oru Kal Oru Kannadi. So, we always plan beforehand.  May be that’s why our combo is highly talked about,” explains Santhanam.

His memorable experiences include working with Ilayathalapathy Vijay. “He’s a contradicting personality as you all would like to think. But, his sense of humor off screen is tremendous. I totally enjoyed working with him and I’m keen to act alongside Thalapathy again,” says Santhanam.

His upcoming projects include Vishal’s Aambala, Rajinikanth’s Lingaa, Simbu’s Vaalu, Udhayanidhi’s Nannbenda and Ajith’s untitled project with director Siva (Thala 56) to name a few. “I’m eagerly waiting to team up with Ajith sir again. The shooting will start soon. We decided this film during ‘Veeram’ itself,” reveals Santhanam on a concluding note.