An Actor Beyond Awards

When we think of an actor who is exceptional at his job, Kamal Haasan’s name first comes to mind. He is known to go above and beyond, to deliver exemplary performances with keen attention to detail. He was also a master of disguise, who has enthralled viewers with a host of unique looks over the years.

The only actor who has been able to match Kamal so far in his calibre is none other than Chiyaan Vikram. Words don’t do enough justice to the man’s commitment to the craft of acting. Over the last two decades, he has simply been game for any kind of role, challenges notwithstanding.

In Setu, Vikram was required to look dark and emaciated. To achieve his look, the actor had spent time out in the sun for hours to burn his skin and get that dark shade. He had also starved back then, in order to look skinny. He did not just rely on male-up or other external factors to achieve his look, he made a lot of personal sacrifices.

His later movies — Pithamagan (Sivaputrudu), Anniyan (Aparichitudu) and I — also reveal the same backstory… that of an actor willing to go to any length to not just act, but live his role with utmost conviction.

Chiyaan Vikram is now back in the cinemas with Thangalaan. Thangalaan is a cut above the rest… of his filmography. The actor appears in a never-before-seen avatar. A few minutes into watching the film, we stop seeing Vikram, we only see Thangalaan and nobody else. The actor’s embodied an intrepid and formidable role like Thangalaan with incredible range and depth of emotions.

Even if the movie may not entirely work for an audience, Vikram’s performance is inevitably bound to impress one and all. He had already won awards and hearts with his work in I. Let’s see if he can repeat this feat with Thangalaan as well!!