He’s been in the industry for over 35 years, but GM Sundar made everyone sit up and take notice with his performance in Sarpatta Parambarai.
Talking about what the film has done to his career, he says, “My childhood friend used to say that I was just one film away from a big break. For me, that film was Sarpatta Parambarai. The character, Duraikannu Vaathiyar, and his dialogue have become a meme material and I feel that it has given me my identity. If Nalan Kumarasamy’s Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum gave me a good comeback, this took me to the nooks and corners of the state. I should thank Pa Ranjith sir for it, because people are calling me for many kinds of roles nowadays.”
The actor says character artistes have got a platform to showcase their talent today because of OTTs. “Unlike in the past, when films could only be watched in theatres during a specific time, now, people are watching them at their convenience. If something is good, they even catch it six months after its release. So, it has become easy for good character artistes to get noticed,” he elaborates.
He feels that films like Sarpatta Parambarai, Mandela, Writer and Jana Gana Mana (Malayalam) gave him a huge reach only after they were released on OTT. I think technology will spur changes and also create a level playing field. When I started out, movies were shot using nitrate-based film stock. Then, we had digital cameras, and now, we are shooting on mobiles. Web series is one such change. So, we should embrace it and adapt to it,” he says and adds that he’s in talks to act in OTT shows, too.
Talking about his acting approach, he says that one has to believe that they are a good actor. “When I did Writer, I believed that I was the protagonist because my character is the one who helps fight injustice. Also, you have to upgrade your knowledge about the character you are playing. You observe the behaviour of people in real life who are doing that profession, and internalise the details. If you do it the usual cinematic way, people will soon get tired of you as an actor. It is the effort you put in to avoid cliches that helps you make a character memorable.”
The actor says his days at the Adyar film institute come in handy. “I used to read about Stanislavski’s method acting when I studied there. Learning the techniques that he formulated helps me when I play a role. Cinema is disjointed images. Eisenstein stresses that actors learn about montage technique because their performance comes through only when disjointed shots are joined together. So, during the gap between shots, I can’t remain in character. Bertolt Brecht’s alienation theory teaches you how to switch on and switch off between shots. So, even as I ruminate about the character within myself, I’ll also switch off after a shot and be myself,” he concludes.
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