I Want to Stay Relevant: Sarathkumar On Por Thozhil And Reaching A New Generation Of Audience

‘Adiyaathi’, the peppy song that marks the union of Anirudh Ravichander and Yuvan Shankar Raja is a treat in every sense. A promo song for the upcoming cop thriller Paramporul, the composers sing and dance together in this energetic number with motivational lyrics. But what suddenly caught my eye in the video was an uber-cool Sarathkumar dancing alongside the composer duo. At the age of 69, it was interesting to see the actor do a dance video as a part of his film’s promotions and have a ball at that too.

This attempt of the actor-turned-politician comes as no surprise given the type of characters he has been playing in 2023. This year saw him play Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar in Ponniyin Selvan 2 and Vijay’s father in Varisu. His last outing Por Thozhil, which is now streaming on SonyLIV, sees him play Loganathan, a tough senior police officer who joins hands with Prakash (Ashok Selvan), an inexperienced, timid cop to nab a serial killer. Behind his cold behaviour though lies a reluctant man who has been carrying the baggage of a past trauma which makes him keep everyone at arm’s length. “Loganathan is also a human being full of emotions but he doesn’t show it outside,” says Sarathkumar who made this invisible inner battle of his character almost palpable. 

As Sarathkumar, who was briefly away from the cinema space due to his political duties, has kickstarted his second innings, he seems to be back with a bang and a plan.

Edited excerpts below

Is 2023 your comeback year in Tamil cinema?

I didn’t go anywhere to come back. I was always here. I was much into politics so I had taken a sabbath. The elections are bound to happen in 2026, so it is really far. I thought I will concentrate on my passion and profession, which is acting, and so I am back. 

You’ve been selecting important roles in films like Ponniyin Selvan, Varisu and Por Thozhil, even if they’re not the center of the film. What is your plan in your second innings?

I want to work consciously. So I have decided that I will concentrate a little more than before. Though my sabbatical was pretty long, I told myself that I should get back. I began working with this plan and the prime goal is to stay relevant. For instance, when we talk about Varisu, it helped me reach a whole new generation of audience. Without Rajendran (his character in Varisu), the film has no value and the relationship between the father and son was crucial to the plot. I had a lot of scope to perform. Similarly, with Ponniyin Selvan film series, I got great exposure, thanks to Mani Ratnam and his audience. I followed it up with Por Thozhil. I think I have landed good films. Choosing such films gives me a push into the industry again. I was always popular and the audiences have always had respect for me. So, it feels good to get back and do more films.

These films have created an impression that Sarathkumar is going to do such meaty roles in the future. What do you’ve in store?

Yes, that is the USP. Now, I have to be very careful. My next outing is also a cop film and it is a cause of concern because I don’t want people to get tired of my police officer roles. Obviously, I am doing five to six films that are of different genres. But my immediate releases like Param Porul, The Smile Man and Hit List are all cop stories. Each has a different flavour though. If Loganathanan is a staunch cop who carries the baggage of childhood trauma in Por Thozhil, I play more jovial and grey-shaded police in Param Porul. In The Smile Man, I play an amnesiac seeking revenge. I hope it works. I have also worked with Sasikumar in NaNa, which will be out after two months. I think I am choosing well. 

Apart from the writing that differentiates your cop roles, what are the aspects you keep in mind as an actor to ensure your characters are unique?

Yes, we work on several factors to create that distinction. For instance, I ensure I look different in each of my films. Every little detail, even the hairstyle, changes. If you had seen most of my films, this has been my forte all my career. You can’t put actor Sarathkumar’s face and write a film name. My character’s image speaks for the film. If you put an image of my role from Nattamai, people will tell you the title. Be it Natpukaaga, Arasu or Suryavamsam, every film had a different look. This has helped me all along and I try to do that even now. Similarly, my body language when I play a serious cop is different from my jovial police role. 

Even though Ashok Selvan plays the vulnerable hero in Por Thozhil, there is some softness in your tough character as well. How did you approach this character?

There are many different hidden emotions inside Loganathan. It is very clearly shown towards the climax. When he sees a kid run and sit outside while his parents are fighting, my character looks at him and feels sorry. At that point, he gets affected in some way and you can see how the softness in him comes out. Perhaps he has started to like the company of Ashok Selvan’s Prakash and is ready to express such emotions when around him. Loganathan kind of finds solace in the fact that they share a comfortable relationship where they can work together and this emotion will drive the plot forward in the sequel. 

So we do have a sequel?

Yes, Vignesh is working on it. Probably, he’ll do a film in between and we’ll start the second part. 

As you said, you can see shades of Loganathan growing comfortable around Prakash now and then. It is best portrayed in the scene where your character half-confesses about his trauma to Prakash. Tell us about that. 

Prakash tells that children who are abused might turn out to be a criminal in the future. But he does not agree. Instead, Loganathan tells him they can also become police officers. While he indirectly talks about himself, it is also the space where he begins to open up to Prakash. But Prakash says that doesn’t make him normal and he gets remembered about Loganathan’s belted back. We get to see his past in bits and pieces, and it all comes down to the point where my character breaks down in the climax. It did choke me when I saw that scene on screen and I instantly felt the audience will get choked too.

What about the scene where Prakash checks the brain temperature of a dead body to determine the death time and tells he learnt it from the books? It was one of the first scenes where we see a change in their relationship.

Yeah (laughs). I appreciate him but I don’t want to. That is why I indirectly recognise his capability by asking if he can handle it alone at the crime scene. Similarly, when we are trying to track the serial killer, he comes up with crucial details and I just look at him. Even when my sister watched the film, she told me I could’ve appreciated him in that scene. But that’s what my character does. That look coveys acknowledgement and appreciation. 

Hypothetically, if you were offered the role of Ashok Selvan back in the 90s, would you have accepted to play a timid cop on screen?

Well, I would’ve done his character. I would have played the vulnerable and scared police officer. But we never had this dual-hero concept back in the day. The other guy would’ve not shared the screen space with me. Not many double hero subjects were there, especially featuring two actors with an equal market. I wouldn’t have had any inhibitions to do that role. Now, I think times are changing. There is no more hero or villain either. People see the performance of the character and appreciate it.