I Look At Every Film Like It's A Person: Ashok Selvan

After a heartwarming outing in Oh My Kadavule (2020), Ashok Selvan is back with yet another romance in his upcoming film Nitham Oru Vaanam. And like the former, Nitham Oru Vaanam, too, explores romance through the lens of travelling. Ashok Selvan, who considers himself an adventurer, thinks he attracts such stories due to his fondness for travelling. 

When we travel, we don’t just go to places, but we meet the people of a place and understand their lifestyle, the actor says in this interview with Krishna. “I don’t like travelling very luxuriously. I like taking the local transport. We cannot understand new worlds if we experience them comfortably,” he says, adding that the film explores such themes.

“There’s something called the pale blue dot. When the voyager left earth and took a photo, he could see how our world was a mere dot. In a huge universe, the earth is only that small. And in that universe, we are smaller and our problems, smaller. So, once we realise that, we can get a lot more perspectives from the world. This is the movie’s philosophy,” says Ashok, who will be seen playing three different characters in the film. 

While travelling turned out to be physically draining, it also ended up making the process that much more enjoyable, Ashok recalls. “We shot at places such as Kolkata, Manali, Chandigarh, Fort Kochi, Madurai, Rohtang Pass, and Pollachi. So, Nitham is not just my most challenging, but also my most favourite film. I am sure it will be a visual treat for audiences to watch these landscapes.”

His goal as an artist is to let people leave theatres with positivity and hope, says Ashok, who looks at each film as a person. “I see every movie as not just an opportunity, but also as a person of its own. A movie has a journey, a karma and a destiny. Each movie selects its own people. Sometimes regardless of what we do, some movies won’t happen for us. When I play these characters, I feel like there’s a big responsibility on me. I always want to give hope through an art form I can control.”

The film, which co-stars Ritu Varma, Aparna Balamurali and Shivathmika, will be out in theatres on November 4.