'Cheenu is close to my heart'

…says actor Vimal, about his character in the upcoming flick Kalakalappu

Srinivasa Ramanujam

Vimal vividly remembers Ullathai Allitha, a film he watched when he was in Class 10. "I desperately wanted to watch it as I was a huge movie buff by then and wanted to get into movies," he recalls, "I didn't tell anyone I was going for it and sneaked into a theatre to watch it. I thoroughly enjoyed the humour in the film."
Little did Vimal know then that about 15 years later, he'd be the hero of a film directed by the same director, Sundar C. Today, the young man is excited about UTV Motion Pictures' Kalakalappu. "My director, Sundar, is excellent with entertainers and he has excelled in this flick as well," says Vimal, "I was first excited at the fact that I was doing a film with him and when I heard the story, I was hooked." He's confident that that the film, which is a comic caper that centres around two brothers who run a 'masala caf' in Kumbakonam, will click with the audiences. "My character in the film (Cheenu) is the more responsible of the two. I liked the role a lot and that's evident by the output. One of my rules before accepting any film is that I should love the character — as was the case with films like Pasanga and Kalavani — and Cheenu of Kalakalappu is quite close to my heart," he adds. Shiva plays Vimal's brother in the film and the actor promises that their 'chemistry' will be one to watch out for! "We (Shiva, comedian Santhanam and I) had a blast on the sets," he explains, "Our friendship and camaraderie off the camera has worked to the advantage of the film. This is one film that all age groups will enjoy." Will the Imsai… song, a love-failure number which, interestingly, he was slated to sing initially, work with the masses? "It sure will," he says, "The highlight of the song is that it has a lot of words and lines that are very relatable to the common man."

Vimal