Vasanth Ravi on ‘Weapon’, choosing genre-specific films and dealing with hits and flops

Actor Vasanth Ravi talks about his upcoming sci-fi film ‘Weapon’, working with veteran actors like Rajinikanth and Sathyaraj, and more

After playing a rugged young man in Taramani, an assassin in Rocky, a commoner struck by the supernatural in Asvins, a cop with a superstar for a father in Jailer, and a guy intertwined in a love triangle in Pon Ondru Kanden, Vasanth Ravi is on a different mission this time around. The actor plays the lead in Weapon directed by Guhan Senniappan known for helming Sawaari (2016) and Prime Video’s first Tamil original series Vella Raja. “The idea is not to repeat the genres, and the shift is based on the scripts I receive. I also look out for strong points in my character that would generate interest and curiosity for the audience,” says Vasanth.

“Picking genre-specific films was not a conscious decision. But doing such projects early in one’s career makes for a good transition towards choosing commercial films later,” says Vasanth who confesses that despite all of this, he is not someone who plans his choices. “If the story and the director convince me, I would love to do a full-fledged commercial film. The space has changed because of filmmakers like Lokesh Kanagaraj sir and Nelson sir; it’s different from what we saw in the ‘90s and early 2000s. What they are doing is in sync with the general pulse of the audience and I would like to be a part of such films. After ten years, this will again change and we have to keep adapting to situations, the audience’s taste and directors who are going to handle it.”

Vasanth adds that he likes the vision of the directors he has worked with, and Weapon is no different. “Director Guhan has been consuming a lot of DC and Marvel comics and anime since childhood. For me, listening to the script itself was like a fantasy. He explained the different worlds, and how he wants to connect them and do the equivalent of Hollywood’s cinematic universes,” says Vasanth, who was initially apprehensive about how the final product would end up.

“I had a lot of doubts in terms of how the action, CG and sound would turn out. Guhan was thankfully very clear about the making, and I am glad to get such a film so early in my career. The fantasy element in the film is convincing and will be presented realistically.”

Vasanth also feels that the film’s strong technical crew cleared his initial apprehension. “When I got to know MR Rajakrishnan sir (National Award-winning audiographer) was on board and the music is by Ghibran, I realised the film was strong. During dubbing, I could see it was 50 per cent of what Guhan narrated to me. When I later saw the final cut with CG, sound, music and DI, I was totally convinced. Rajakrishnan sir, who is working on Kalki 2898 AD, also saw the film and said he now understands Guhan’s vision and loved the final product.”

In his limited filmography, Vasanth has had a fair share of films with an ensemble cast; in Weapon, he stars alongside veteran actor Sathyaraj. “Since I just started my career, I want to position myself as the lead... as long as that happens, I don’t mind if it’s a multi-starrer or someone is sharing equal space with me. Jailer was, of course, a different kind of film and I wanted to work with Rajini sir, know how he works, and how it feels to be with him on set. The whole film was about the father-son equation, so the impact was high even if the screen time was less.”

Vasanth’s business acumen makes him understand the longer repercussions of a film not doing well. “Hit films happen when the audience feels the same about your film as you do. Apart from them being blockbusters, I also want the film to be spoken about a couple of decades down the lane. As far as flops are concerned, it might hinder the producer from taking up another project with another filmmaker and actor, and in a way, I feel responsible for that as well... that hits me hard,” he explains.