It’s not often we see a young actor begin his career playing the role of a middle-aged man, that too in a horror film. But conventional is hardly a word one can use to describe the talented young Ashok Selvan. After playing the irritatingly inquisitive Kesavan to great success in his debut Soodhu Kavvum , Ashok says he was flooded with offers to play similar roles, but he rejected them, fearing he would be typecast.
“It is very difficult for a new actor to turn down offers. Every time you succeed in a role, a bunch of filmmakers approach you with identical roles. When I first auditioned during my college days, I was offered only American maapillai roles — they have become IT professional roles after Soodhu Kavvum . When you say you want meatier roles, they are quick to dismiss you, saying ‘Yaaru nee? Athukkulla hero avanuma?’ It was during this phase that Ashok was approached to play a supporting role in the much-hyped Pizza sequel. “I told the director I wanted to give the lead role a shot but bigger names were being considered then. However, he gave me a set of lines and asked me to audition. Thinking it was for the supporting role, I deliberately gave my life’s worst ever audition. The next day I was told I had been chosen to play the lead,” he laughs. He followed the success of Pizza II – Villa by playing a sleuth in the hit crime thriller Thegidi .
So success didn’t come easy? “Struggle is relative,” he’s quick to respond. “Of course, I didn’t have to starve for days to get here, but I have had my share of humiliation and rejection. If you’re from a rich family, you can try your hand at films for years and go back to your family business, and if you’re from a poor family, you have nothing to lose. But for a person from a middle-class background, you may be left with nothing after years of struggle.”
Ashok has completed shooting for Savaale Samaali, his first comedy directed by Kazhugu fame Sathyasiva. He is also working on his first action film Varaipadam directed by newcomer Ashraf. “I want to do varied roles. I take time to prepare for each role, as I work with my directors to create detailed character graphs and back stories. That is because I feel most actors today are either imitating Rajini or Kamal. I’ve been told I resemble Kamal in my expressions. But Vijay Sethupathi is different; he has a unique style and I’m a great fan of his. He once told me that he doesn’t imitate either Rajini or Kamal even as a joke because that could affect his expressions. I have a great deal to learn from him,” he says.
