“Heroism in our cinema is usually of two types: Active, where the hero questions something wrong that happens around him, and Reactive, where he reacts to a wrong done to him. I don’t know if it has been done in Indian cinema before, but we came up with the idea of a ‘Proactive’ hero in Thani Oruvan.”
Tag: Arvind Swamy
Arvind Swami: I never wanted to be a star
” I don’t internalise any appreciation directed towards my looks. In fact, I did a variety of roles, only so people could focus on my acting instead.”
Bogan and puritanical notions
Unfortunately, reality, as Nallasivam of Anbe Sivam (2003) indicates, is more complicated. Evil people cannot be, and must not be lazily profiled by trivialities like ugly looks, bad hygiene, or innocuous personal choices. And yet, our filmmakers persist with this notion.
Bogan: Arvind Swamy in full form in an all-right potboiler
Arvind Swamy really plays to the gallery with his portrayal, and seems to revel in the character’s hedonism. He brings a sophisticated charisma to the role that Tamil villains have long lacked, a certain swag that some heroes would die for.
Sudhir Srinivasan 