
Actor Vidyut Jamwal talks about stardom, southern cinema and upcoming Tamil film 'Anjaan'
Chennai: In southern cinema, Vidyut Jamwal may have only played
villainous roles so far, but he says after sharing screen space with
some superstars such as Ajith, Suriya and Vijay, he feels like a star in
the industry."Since I work in Bollywood as well as southern
cinema, I feel I have been recognized in both the industries. I have my
fan following. It's a double whammy I'm enjoying. But having worked with
southern superstars, I feel like a star too when I go there. It's like
I've found my own stardom," Vidyut told IANS.
"I also feel I'm
getting the recognition in southern filmdom because a lot of Bollywood
actors are recognized there. I may not be playing lead roles down south,
but I'm happy with the success and recognition," he said.After
playing a baddie in southern films such as 'Billa 2', 'Shakti' and
'Thuppakki', Vidyut is finally changing gears with upcoming Tamil
actioner 'Anjaan'.
He doesn't appear in a typical 'villain' role in the film."My
role in 'Anjaan' has no similarities with the ones I've played before.
It's something I haven't done before. It's not cold and menacing. I'm
really excited to the see the result and the audiences response to it,"
he said.
"Audiences will also get to see me doing some action in
this film. I've performed my own stunts and I'm sure it will be received
well," he added.'Anjaan' features Suriya in the lead and Vidyut is playing his "partner in crime".The
film, which was predominantly shot in Mumbai, also features several
Hindi actors such as Manoj Bajpai, Dalip Tahil, Asif Basra and Rajpal
Yadav.
Jamwal was 'happy' to rub shoulders with several of his industry counterparts in 'Anjaan'.
"I
was happy to work with so many of them in the same film. You don't get
to work with all of them every day. Manoj has been a friend from before
and we gelled well on the sets. There's so much to learn from him," he
said.Directed by N. Linguswamy, 'Anjaan' is slated for release
Aug 15. It is jointly produced by the director and UTV Motion Pictures.
Vidyut says "it's a Linguswamy film all the way".
"The
reason I agreed to do the film is for Linguswamy. I've seen his
'Paiyya' and I fell in love with his work. So when he asked me to come
to Chennai to audition for the film, I decided I'll do the film even
without knowing my role," he said."He's a fabulous director and I
always wished to work with him. We shared a wonderful bond on and off
the sets and no wonder I didn't find working with him challenging," he
added.He heaps praise on his co-star Suriya as well."Suriya
and I will be seen together in the film and that helped us grow closer
as
friends. He's called a superstar but there's nothing about him that
makes you feel so. He's a committed actor and never leaves room for star
status to overshadow his work," Vidyut said.In Bollywood, Vidyut has started working on 'Yaara' with Shruti Haasan. He also has 'Commando 2' in the offing.