Simbu, hero of the superhit Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, is ready for romance. But it’s his work that’s taking a new direction and keeping him busy now
IT took just one film for Simbu to break free from the rest and race ahead. All without performing a single eye-popping stunt, spouting a smart line that would become common parlance, or changing get-ups. He just played Karthik, boy-next-door, uncertain at first, then ecstatic and, finally, tormented by his love.
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa by Gautham Vasudev Menon didn’t just buck the trend of potboiler films that were mere showcases for superstardom — it gave Simbu new direction and, by the star’s own admission, has set him on a different path. “Thanks to Vinnai..., I now have an elite audience,” says Simbu, who, until then, was known mainly for his action flicks directed at the masses.
He now wants his roles to go beyond dishum-dishum and exaggerated style. He’s currently working on Poda Podi with Vignesh Shiva, who’s also a school friend. “And the project with Lingusamy will also be a more balanced film — by which I mean a more sensible mix of commercial elements and sensible art,” he says.
He has known for a while the direction he wants to take. When he sat down to discuss a movie with Gautham, he was, indeed, looking for something different. “I was beginning to fear being typecast,” Simbu says, “But when I heard the story of Vinnai..., I knew that this was it.”
His instinct proved right for it went on to become a blockbuster. “Of course, you
can talk about the various elements that made the movie work — the story, the performances, the songs — but I’d say it’s entirely a Gautham creation. I owe it all to him,” he says.
Willing as he is to hand over all the credit to Gautham, there’s no denying that the palpable chemistry between Trisha and Simbu was one of the winning aspects of the film. “Yes, it was there,” Simbu says. “Ever since we worked together in Alai, we’ve been friends and the rapport spilled over to the sets of Vinnai....”
There was a realness to the way the two actors translated their emotions on screen. “Perhaps, if I were to see a girl and fall in love in an instant, that’s the way I would’ve expressed myself,” Simbu says. And, no, it’s not happening in real life right now for him. “I’ve been single for the past three years or so, waiting to discover that moment,” he says.
“After Vinnai..., I see girls who would earlier just watch Simbu, the actor, from a distance, now come up and approach me. It proves to be a problem at times,” he says, “Because I don’t believe it’s about meeting someone, getting to know them and falling in love. Love has to strike you, hit you, devastate you, all in a flash.” Just the way Karthik in the movie experienced it.
And yes, he says, he believes in eternal love even in this age of speed dating and when it’s an online status message that announces it’s over.
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