My hopes for 2024: What Chennai personalities look forward to in the New Year

Chennai welcomes 2024 with wishes and dreams. Well-known faces from the city like Ashok Selvan, Asal Kolaar and Vaishali R discuss their learnings from 2023 and what they look forward to in the new year

With every year, I strive to be better. This was a year that I could see some growth in myself. My visibility increased twofold. My recent songs in the latter half of the year, ‘Naa Ready’ from Leo and ‘Kotha Raja’ from King of Kotha wrapped up the year on a high. 

After my stint on Big Boss 2022, I had received a lot of brickbats on social media. It was difficult to handle but has also made me tougher. I started immersing myself in my work. It used to hurt me initially, but now I know how to handle it. This was my biggest takeaway from 2023. 

I always try to experiment with the lyrics or flow of my music and aspire to evolve constantly with my sound. I believe that this will reflect on some of the independent tracks that are slated for next year. Tamil independent music does not have an identity like say reggaeton, drill music or Afro beat. A lot of the independent music is now mixed with commercial cinema music. I want to try and bring a specific, identifiable sound to Tamil independent music. I hope to see a new wave in 2024 with many young independent artistes coming up. This music should be recognised globally. 

I do not usually make New Year resolutions but consistency is something that I will concentrate on in 2024. It will also be the year I produce my own videos and music and not associate with a label. Expectations for 2024? (Laughs) Nothing much, a lot of money should come my way, that is all.  

(As told to Gowri S)

It has been a phenomenal year.. a year which I will not forget. I got married to the love of my life and Por Thozhil (2023) gave me the hope to pursue my dreams relentlessly. After its release, a producer came up to me and asked how I chose to play this character (DSP K Prakash) as he is not a typical hero in the film. It was a bet which paid off. This was my first ₹50 crore film and it has given me the confidence to play the characters I like. There is no need to play it safe.

There was a persistent duality with respect to fame earlier. I never sought it when I was young. A part of me wondered if I should silently leave everything (in cinema) while another part wanted me to rule the world. A saint however told me that my soul must experience fame even though I never asked him the question. This has given me some clarity too. Next year, I want to be more adventurous with my film choices.