Sivakarthikeyan: If I don’t accept my failures, you won’t accept my victories

In a press conference ahead of the release of ‘Maaveeran’, Sivakarthikeyan speaks about why he chose to work with Madonne Ashwin, the film’s challenging action sequences, and more

The business of cinema runs on analysis, calculations, and making peace with Murphy’s Law. This has become even more crucial in this post-pandemic, post-OTT era. And when a factor as influential as stardom enters the picture, the stakes are sky-high, and even the on-screen and off-screen reputation of a star matters. So when you see Sivakarthikeyan break notions that other stars consider sacrosanct for business — like accepting the failure of a film (Siva’s last film Prince failed in Tamil Nadu) — you can’t help but admire the star’s self-confidence.

With Maaveeran, his film with Mandeladirector Madonne Ashwin, releasing on July 14, Sivakarthikeyan answers questions at a press conference with a smile and genuine warmth.

Excerpts:

What did you like about ‘Mandela’ so much that you wished to work with Madonne Ashwin?

Mandela told the story of simple people and their issues, and Madonne also weaved a political satire out of that story. It had both entertainment as well as social responsibility. It was also the kind of film even my daughter could watch and enjoy; though she’s too young to understand politics, the film was entertaining to her.

In the trailer of ‘Maaveeran’, we see you play a comic book artist but we also get a hint of some supernatural element in play. Is this a superhero film?

No, it’s not a superhero film. I play a comic artist named Sathya, and the name of a comic he draws is called ‘Maaveeran’. Through this story, we tell why he is later known as Maaveeran. We can’t reveal much about the fantasy element but yes there is some relationship between what he draws and what happens to him. We had to be very conscious about the trailer cut because we can’t reveal too much but at the same time convey that there’s an interesting concept.