I did not want to be a star, I want to be an actor: Vidharth on his 20-year film career

The actor talks about playing a villain in ‘Anbarivu’, the things he learnt at Koothupattarai, the kind of films he wants to do and more

It has been 20 years since Vidharth first appeared on the big screen in a blink-and-you-miss-it role inMinnale. Ten years since his breakthrough film,Mynaa. Despite the film’s commercial success and the appreciation he got, Vidharth’s career graph did not see a dramatic upward curve. “I know I am not a star today,” he says, reflecting upon his journey, “But I never wanted to become one.”

That’s because Vidharth always wanted to be anactor.

Cinema, for him, was a childhood fascination. His maternal grandfather had appeared in small roles in P Neelakantan’sOr Iravu(written by CN Annadurai) and Krishnan-Panju’s famousParasakthi(written by M Karunanidhi) in which Sivaji Ganesan made his debut. He wanted Vidharth to be in the films too. When he liked a character in a film, he would address Vidharth by the character’s name. Vidharth, by now, was a constant presence in his school plays.