Nizhalgal Ravi: I never expected Vijay to enter politics
Veteran actor Nizhalgal Ravi says he is still processing the kind of resounding success his recent film,Jana Nayagan, which marks Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay's cinematic swansong, is receiving. Comparing the. . .
Veteran actor Nizhalgal Ravi says he is still processing the kind of resounding success his recent film,Jana Nayagan, which marks Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay's cinematic swansong, is receiving. Comparing the theatre celebration of Kamal Haasan'sNayaganandJana Nayagan, Ravi says, "I watchedJana Nayaganin Madurai, and it is clear they love him like anything. I was shooting there on the day of Jana Nayagan release and sought permission to watch the film. I have not seen anything like this since theNayaganrelease. Such craze, love, and adoration for Vijay. My portions have been received well, and I am grateful to Vinoth for this opportunity. In fact, I am getting calls of appreciation even from those who haven't spoken to me in years. "Expressing his astonishment over Vijay's rise from an introverted actor to occupying Tamil Nadu's highest office, Ravi says, "Believe it or not, Vijay showed me no signs of his political ambitions. I have worked with him inKushi(2000),Thirumalai(2003) andKaavalan(2011). We have had plenty of conversations on sets of all these films; I never saw this coming. " In fact, this isn't the first time Ravi is sharing screenspace with superstars who harboured political ambitions. "During the mid-90s, I thought that Rajini sir would make the plunge and go on to become the CM. Nevertheless, I am happy that this has happened to Vijay, who was someone I least expected to have this ambition. Even in the sets ofJana Nayagan, he was exactly how I saw him inKushi. Just like how he is a different person on-screen and off-screen, he has proven to be a silent dynamite in his political career too. "Gifted with a commanding voice, Ravi says although his screentime was minimal, he was satisfied with how his character drivesJana Nayagan's narrative. "I realised that voice-acting is a very powerful department in cinema. I have been working as a narrator for shows on channels like Discovery and other documentaries. But it wasKGFthat showed me how powerful it is. Since then, I have been getting a lot of narrator opportunities like the one inJana Nayagan," says the veteran. Pointing out that he enjoys the difference between narrating documentary shows and playing the narrator in commercial entertainers, Ravi says, "In a documentary, you will have to maintain the tempo of your voice from start to finish. There is nothing you can add to that script. But in films, you can play with inflection according to a scene's situation. Vinoth was kind enough to explore my voice range as he left that discretion to me. He would just explain the scene and let me do my thing. "