Soori interview on ‘Garudan’: I stopped getting comedy roles after ‘Viduthalai’

Actor Soori talks about his film ‘Kottukaali’, ‘Viduthalai’ and ‘Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai’, which premiered at film festivals, and discusses how commercial outings like ‘Garudan’ are equally important

Soori has hit a purple patch in his career. Not only did he turn kadhayin naayagan (the plot’s hero) last year with Vetri Maaran’s Viduthalai Part 1, but a slew of films he was part of also had a stellar run in the festival circuit.

The Viduthalai films had a special premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival, where his Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai, helmed by Ram and co-starring Nivin Pauly and Anjali, also premiered. Another film starring Soori in the lead, Kottukaali — produced by Sivakarthikeyan and directed by PS Vinothraj (whose Koozhangal/ Pebbles was selected as the Indian entry for the Oscars in 2022) — premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Soori is visibly delighted about attending the premieres and mingling with a different audience from what he is used to. “Watching a film with our people gives a sense of satisfaction; that’s one experience. But to take our film across borders and oceans, and visit a theatre filled with hundreds of foreigners with me and the makers in the centre, is a different experience altogether. To see them dissect our films gave me so much joy,” says Soori.

“At Rotterdam where the Viduthalai films and Yezhu Kadal... premiered, festival goers were surprised to see me. When some of them came to Berlinale and caught Kottukaali, they were shocked to see me again. It’s rare for Indian films to get selected for these festivals and to see that I’m a part of multiple such films makes me happy,” he adds. “Their perspective and questions are different from what we are used to here. To retrace where I started from and see where this journey has taken me, feels like a dream.”

Soori believes that commercial films are equally important in this stage of his career and pins his hopes on Garudan. “Viduthalai gave a different impression about me to the audience and the promotional material of my upcoming films might give a hunch on the sort of roles I’m getting. Garudan will be something between these films thanks to its commercial elements,” he says.

“My character Sokkan is stuck between loyalty and justice. It’s different from what I did in Viduthalai; this film also has a lot more action and emotion,” says Soori, pointing out how the action sequences are different from Viduthalai, yet still realistic. “This type of action is something I’m new to. I think people feel I’m doing back-to-back action films because of Viduthalai and the raw feel Kottukaali’s promotional material gave. But I wonder how that’s possible given just one such film has been released.”

Although Soori has worked in several Sasikumar-starrers like Udanpirappe, Kennedy Club, Poraali and Sundarapandian, Garudan might feel distinctly different for the audience considering the comedian-turned-lead actor is headlining the film. However, Soori says the dynamics have not changed, at least from his perspective.