Beyond commercial values, Bison taught me humanity, says actor Dhruv Vikram

CHENNAI: Dressed in a black shirt and a denim jogger, Dhruv Vikram is seated quietly in the corner of a room at a city hotel. His film, Bison, has gone on to become a critically and commercially acclaimed film and is having a strong theatrical run. But the work that went behind that is huge. He opens his heart out in this conversation with us: Here are some excerpts from the interview:

On working with Mari Selvaraj

I admire his storytelling and him as a filmmaker. I am glad that he thought of Bison’s script with me in the lead role. I see that as a blessing. I had to process a lot of things in my head while working on this project. The film was physically demanding. I trained in Kabaddi for almost two and a half years. There was a time when Mari sir asked if he could stall Bison and work on another project for now. That in fact, hurt me. But I took this up as a challenge and moulded myself into playing Kittan. I ventured out of my comfort zone to play this role.

On being constantly compared with his dad Chiyaan Vikram

I enjoy it because I am being compared with a versatile performer. To play the role in Bison, I had to dedicate myself like how appa dedicates himself to each film of his. I injured my hand while practising Kabaddi and appa said, ‘Good. This is how you learn’. Also, when I find the right script, I am ready to go to any extent to devote myself to the film. Dad was constantly on the back of my mind when I did Bison. Hard work is important and so is smartwork. Appa knew that I would become an actor some day, which is why he named me Dhruv. Amma wanted to name me Akhil. But dad insisted that I was named Dhruv. He has given me the stage but the onus is on me to sustain.

On sets of Bison

More than the story, Bison is very human in nature. I loved the rural life as I spent a lot of time down south with the ‘payalvo’ (guys) and annas there. I came home once every three months just for a couple of days. I missed the life back there. When I left, me and my ‘payalvo’ there hugged each other. Whenever I boarded the plane, I kind of felt a bit uncomfortable in t-shirts and trousers. I fell in love with their dialect and their way of living.

Thatha or mama?

To my niece, appa and I are the best actors. She likes appa a notch above. She goes around school saying that my thatha and my mama are the best actors and flexes.