Young Superstar To Atman: Understanding Silambarasan, The Star Behind STR

At the recent audio launch of Pathu Thala, Silambarasan TR began his speech to a frenetic crowd of 8,000 odd fans with what seemed like a simple gesture of thanks. “You have very patiently ridden the tough times with me with so much pain. Let’s put an end to all the sad scenes and skip to the good part (Andha soga scene mudinjiduchu, inime sandhoshamana scene ku varuvom),” the actor announced. 

For the uninitiated, Simabarasan was hardly exaggerating when he referred to his difficult past with a punch line, and neither was he smarming up his fans with sweet talk. The actor was simply dropping truth bombs (in characteristic fashion) about his stardom, which has been earmarked with several controversies, a sense of total abandon, and of course unexplainable loyalty from his fans.

“There was a time when we didn’t even know whether his films would release or not,” recalls Mohamed Bilaludheen, a Chennai banker, who comes from a family of STR superfans. “But we always knew a day like the Pathu Thala launch would come. Our star is back, calmer but stronger.” The actor, who made a much-publicised comeback with the films Maanaadu (Venkat Prabhu’s delightful time loop film, 2021) and Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu (Gautham Vasudev Menon’s gangster film, 2022), enjoys a unique fandom in the realm of Tamil cinema, which has stood the test of a red card warning from the Tamil Film Producers Council, burning effigies of the actor (remember ‘Beep Song’?), several disappearing acts (he had no films between 2013 and 15) from the big screen, and a transformation beyond belief. What really explains this unusual stardom the actor enjoys?

A Star In The Making

Son of filmmaker-producer T Rajendar, Silambarasan was introduced to Tamil movies in his father’s productions as a child artiste. The most prominent in this line of films came in Samsara Sangeetham (1989), in which he danced to ‘I am a Little Star, aavean da superstar’, as a six-year-old boy emulating Rajinikanth’s hair flips to perfection. “This might sound silly, but I grew up watching his minor roles in his father's films like Enga Veetu Velan (1992). He used to dance so well as a kid, something that he kept getting better at through the years,” says Bilaludheen. 

His first starring role was in Kadhal Azhivathillai (2002), a T Rajendar directorial that released to much pomp and celebration for an actor making his debut. While the actor came to be loved for his on-screen charisma and excellent dancing skills, his major breakthrough came in 2004 with Manmadhan, a film he directed and wrote at the age of 22. The film, which features the actor as a self-styled vigilante who takes out promiscuous women, might not have aged well, but is said to have run for over 200 days in the theatres at the time of release. 

His exuberant sense of confidence on and off the stage is something his fans seem struck by. Bernadette, a Tamil fan of the actor settled in Paris, France, looks at his films as a bridge that connects her to her roots. “We all have a reason to like an actor, it might be for their appearance, dance or screen presence. But in every frame of his, I could only see his self confidence. As an Indian girl living abroad, I’ve always felt insecure about so many things. I was bullied and colour shamed, and I used to be so demure. But Silambarasan TR is the one who made me realise that if you don't defend yourself, no one will,” she says. 

After featuring in a string of commercial titles, the actor surprised fans with his metered performance in Gautham Vasudev Menon’s piercing romance Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya in 2010. “VTV showed us that Simbu could act in such a beautiful urban setup too,” says Bilaludheen. But what followed was a rigamarole of controversies that neither the star nor his fans were ready for. 

Controversy’s Favourite Child

Following the much delayed release of Vaalu in 2015 (the actor was not seen in any leading role between 2013 and 2015), came the infamous Beep Song dispute, which took the Tamil community by storm. The single — featuring Silambarasan mouthing misogynistic expletives — was released online in December that year, and was slammed for its salacious lyrics. Complaints were registered and effigies were burnt. But the actor maintained that the song was leaked, and was only meant for private consumption. “We struggled a lot then, because he had just come back up, and then this happened. But we have to realise nobody is perfect. At least he was completely open about all his personal and professional lows,” recalls Bilaludheen.

The actor vanished again from public eye save for a few releases in 2016. It was in 2017, following the release of Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan (AAA) that his career took another nosedive. The delayed film, which featured the actor in three roles, tanked at the box office. Producer Michael Rayappan revealed shocking allegations against the actor, blaming his tardiness for the production’s disastrous box office outcome. Forget turning up to sets on time, the actor was accused of not even showing up at the dubbing studio, finally resorting to dubbing from his bathroom! This much-publicised media trial led the Tamil Film Producers Council to slap the actor with a red card, threatening to ban him from acting in films. 

While he initially defended his tardiness by saying he’s a person who doesn’t “believe in following time”, (probably the origin story to the incredible running joke that he doesn’t have a clock in his house), Silambarasan finally went on to apologise to the producer and seemed to be at peace with TFPC’s decision. It was this vulnerability that led his fans to continue holding a torch for him, insists Bernadette. “When you are in the entertainment industry and have all the cameras on you, there is a quality that some people might lack, which is vulnerability. But STR has never shied away from vulnerability. Even if you're not a fan, if you're Tamil and have been following Tamil cinema, you would know everything about him.” Producer and film historian G Dhananjayan, who compares his stardom to that of Ajith’s, notes that every actor goes through ups and downs. “It only matters how they get up and move forward.”

“There are two stars I’ve seen, who are loved by fans despite any number of flops or whatever happens to them. There was a period where Ajith continuously gave a lot of failures. This was when they said Ajith might not have a market anymore. He had around 7-8 flops at the time, but still sustained. I saw the same charisma in Simbu,” he says. Despite the negativity around him, frequent collaborators like Gautham Menon maintained that there was nothing that Silambarasan couldn’t pull off as an actor. “Even if he comes two-three hours late to set, you forget everything. He draws you into his performance. Simbu is capable of everything,” the director said in 2017.

The actor was eventually allowed to release films by the council. But he had gained some weight by then, and suddenly found himself at the centre of an appalling body shaming campaign by internet trolls. “He was highly body shamed during the movie Vandha Rajava Dhaan Varuven and people used this time to say anything and everything about him,” says Bernadette.  

Maanaadu, Atman and STR 2.0

COVID-19 hit and there were talks of Maanaadu, his film with Venkat Prabhu being shelved at one point. It seemed like the actor had ultimately hit rock bottom, when he emerged with a spiritual and physical transformation that gave fans a new sobriquet (Atman or a man stripping himself off all labels and just believing in the soul) and a new STR. He was not just 30 kilos lighter, but also seemed to have shed his inner turbulence for peace, open about his struggles with mental health. Maanaadu went on to become a 100 crore film at the box office, and fans rejoiced. Obeli N Krishna, who directed him in Pathu Thala, thinks the transformation has made him much calmer, something the actor too admitted at the audio launch.

“He is a born star. Working with Simbu was very easy, especially in my case. The only thing is, the director has to be very clear and he has to set Simbu's mind much in advance. If you set it, there are no issues and he will follow all schedules. If you take him for granted, then the problem begins,” he says. 

Life for the 40-year-old actor, who is now sitting on Pathu Thala, a sequel to Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu and a dream collaboration with Kamal Haasan on STR 48 with director Desingh Periyasamy (Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal), looks good today. “We see him as a brother in the household, whom we don't give up on. I have still not met him personally. When he told us it’s time for us to relax and just watch him act in peace at the audio launch, I was in one corner at the venue, watching him speak. That was enough for me. I came back home and showed this speech to my wife, who is a Dhanush fan (Dhanush is considered a rival to Silambarasan by fans),” laughs Bilaludheen. “ I just want him to do well.”