Arvind Swamy has played MG Ramachandran in the biopic of Jayalalitha. 'Thalaivii' will release on September 10. In this interview, the 'Bombay' and 'Roja' actor talks about the movie, playing a legendary personality and more.
MGR is a legend for everyone. I grew up watching his movies. He has pulled off several achievements in the film and political fields. He won the love of the people. I saw it as a responsibility to play him. It was also a big challenge to play the character.
Since millions look up to MGR, it is not easy to play him. I wanted to ensure that there is no flaw in my acting. It shouldn't look like imitation at all. Not only did I need to understand his life but also connect with the emotion in the script.
While MGR was a public personality, his private life was not an open book. So, I had no reference to enact his private life. A lot of scenes involve just two characters in the movie. His mannerisms in movies were different from how they were in real life.
There is no negativity against anybody in the movie. We have shown some political events and their background. It's not about good and bad people. There are friends and foes in the world of politics. We have shown only the human aspects of their personalities.
We have seen MGR in a lot of avatars. He was different in politics and cinema. I had to bring out all the shades.
No matter how hard you prepare in doing your homework, you have to impress the audience at the end of the day. So, there is no point in talking about how much effort has gone into a performance. At the end of the day, the audience has to love your performance.
I am a fan of MGR. I have only made an attempt to be like him. I am not MGR. I am merely an actor. And I am Arvind Swamy. I have given my 100%.
A lot of projects have got postponed because of Covid-19. I want to do Telugu projects. But my prior commitments are yet to be completed.
I have got a number of friends in Hyderabad. I was familiar with the city even before I came here. I love the food here. Since 'Roja', people have loved me here. I have got so many memories here.
