Jackie Shroff in a Tamil film? How did Aaranya Kaandam happen?
A film is a film is a film. It doesn’t matter if it is in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu or English.
Tell us about your experience in Kollywood?
The Tamil film industry is a no-nonsense one, where work is workship.
And the process of filmmaking itself?
It’s a pleasure working with the south Indian film industry’s talented technicians.
What about the character of Singaperumal, an ageing don, appealed to you?
There’s an underlying pathos in the life of a don losing his power, both over his people as well as in his personal life. That aspect touched me.
Do you prefer playing good or bad guys?
I’d say the bad guy. I started my career as Swami Dada. All the roles I’ve been acclaimed for are characters with shades of the negative.
Was it tough taking orders from a young debutant director in Aaranya Kaandam?
Not at all. I worked on a Kannada film, C/0 Footpath, made by a 10-year-old. And I was perfectly fine taking orders. On the sets, the director is the captain of the ship.
You are working on a Telugu film, right?
The Shadow, directed by Vishnuvardhan.
What’s your role like in The Shadow?
It’s a romantic action film; I’m playing an underworld kingpin yet again.
You seem to be spending a lot of time in the south. Does Bollywood not treat its former superstars well?
Of course it does. Look at Amitabh Bachchan; he is 68 and look at how his career is rocking. I’m 15 years behind him; I still have time.
What’s the most perceptible difference between Bollywood and Kollywood?
In Kollywood, fans are almost fanatics. Even if the film is atrocious, they’ll go and watch it for their stars. In Bollywood, if a film is bad, you know audiences are not going to watch it.
