Though Vijay debuted in his home production Nalaya Therpu,  directed by his father S A Chandrashekar, it was Fazil’s super hit Kadhalukku Mariyathai  that really boosted his career. Hits like Poove Unkahe  by Vikraman, Love Today  from Super Good Chowdhary, Priyamudan  by Vincent Selva followed and he was hailed Tamil filmdom’s superstar, next only to Rajanikanth and Kamal. But two years and a string of flops later, especially Kannukul Nilavu  directed by Fazil, had him slipping down and out of competition. Now, with the success of Kushy  he’s back in reckoning but can he face competition from the likes of Ajith and Vikram?
The star discusses his superstar status, or the lack of it, as well as the rumours of his separation from his wife, his charitable acts and future moves.

Excerpts:

You have been off media for long...
It’s not a deliberate move. I was in Ooty, London and Mysore to finish Friends and Priyamaanavale. Secondly, the question on every journalist’s lips is whether I have divorced my wife. I have been attacked by the press right since my marriage. Some said I was marrying under duress and others said it was without my parents’ consent. Then there was talk about my wife having a child before marriage and my attempting suicide because of it. Now that my wife delivered in London and I was not with her she is supposed to have separated from me. Should I answer to all this?

What is the truth?
Thank god you asked. I think I am lucky to have got a wife like Sangeetha. She has never reacted to these reports or asked me even once about them. I was completing the shooting of Priyamaanavale at the time she was to deliver and had I taken off it would have caused considerable loss. My parents went and met their daughter-in-law and grandchild instead. They scanned my son's photo and sent it to me. Anyway, I left for London after I finished my work. Some said that I was not with her because I had left her. I am shooting here and why can’t the press talk to me about it?

You seem to have lost the superstar status now?
(laughs) It was something the distributors foisted on me. I really haven’t achieved anything like Rajanikanth or Kamal Haasan and was embarrassed by the superstar status. Failure of some films made the distributors re-think on the superstar status but I think it’s not so very important while success and failure are. One learns from them and we can only correct our mistakes.

How are you correcting your mistakes?
Priyamaanavale and Friends are two films which are bound to click. Selvabharathi has taken a Telugu story and worked hard on it. Sidiq of Friends is one director who has perfected the script and he comes from the Fazil school and so you can hope for the best.

Fazil once gave a lift to your career but then he also gave you a major flop?
Kannukul Nilavu might be a flop but it’s not a bad film. The audience was not prepared to see me in a mad man’s role and I think I was too young to do the role. But as an actor it’s a very satisfying role.

Requesting Vikraman to direct you is also a part of your corrective measures?
He gave me a break from the dancing-fighting hero routine with Poove Unkahe and today he is the most saleable director, so what is wrong in my asking him to do a film with me?

Is doing a remake a corrective step?
Selvabharathi and Sidiq are doing remakes because it’s a surefire way to get a hit and I never found a story better than that of these two films.

Any other projects?
I have a film with Ravi, associate to Ramgopal Varma.

Your charity drives are said to be a move to enter politics?
I am a person who does not read the front page of newspapers because it does not interest me. The other day when I went to a function, the CM called me and spoke to me. Soon everyone started winking and saying “look Vijay is with Karunanidhi.” My father has taught me to distance myself from olitics but at the same time not from personalities. All his life, my father has been close to Karunanidhi but never once has he embarked on a political tour for DMK.
My father was the person to initiate me into charity and to tell the truth, I was not interested. I would just start off the charity drive and push off. It was when I read an item about a school topper struggling to raise money, that I traced her and told her that I would sponsor her studies further. The joy in her and her mother was what set me thinking about doing charity. When I donated gold rings to newborns in Madurai Government Hospital, one mother fell at my feet and wept saying it was her dream that one day she should put a gram of gold on her daughter but getting a gold ring on the first day itself was beyond her dreams.

You seem to be very much in awe of your father?
Yes, the reason is that my parents have always taken pains to see that I succeed as an actor. Without my father’s guidance I would not have come up this far and my mother’s prayers have undoubtedly helped me.