He’s become one of the most popular young faces in Kollywood and is extremely popular for his baritone voice and his charming good looks. Arjun Chidambaram, most popular for his role as the antagonist, Adhik, in Nerkonda Paarvai (2019) a remake of the Hindi sleeper hit, Pink (2016). But this wasn’t his foray into Kollywood and Arjun has to his credit, several films before this, including Tamil films Rum (2017) and Moone Moonu Varthai (2015). The actor has also been seen in Enai Noki Paayum Thota (2019) and more recently in Theeviram (2020). We catch up with the actor, who is on a short break, right after completing the yet-to-be-released Mani Ratnam magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, Vasanthabalan’s Aneethi and Balaji Kumar’s Kolai.
“I don’t think anyone wants me to cut my hair, ever again,” he begins with a smile and adds, “ever since I have grown my hair and beard out, that’s the only look that everyone in Kollywood seems to want.” We noticed Arjun sporting this look when the pandemic started in 2019 and two years later, it seems like we will not see the actor returning to his clean-shaven chocolate-boy look anytime soon.
“I can’t really complain though, as I am getting a lot of work thanks to this look. But honestly, since I have worked in this avatar on many of these projects (like Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan) for so long — thanks to delayed schedules because of the pandemic — I’m having a really hard time getting these characters out of my system,” explains Arjun whose earlier career was defined by roles like the handsome gay character, Ganesh, in America Mapillai on Zee5 (2018), that expected him to look much younger and more metrosexual.
“I am always looking to do all kinds of roles and I have a huge OTT release (director Milind Rau’s next) that might be my next big project. Honestly, though, I think I got this role too because of my current look and the makers even told me that the role was written for me, thanks to this look,” he shares amid laughter. But have these antagonist roles required other things from him as well, we ask. “Well, they all expect me to be fit, and that’s not a problem for me at all, as I have always been in shape. I was an athlete and still play all kinds of sports to keep me in shape. I am also a shameless gym bunny and love to really look after myself by always eating healthy. My diet plan consists of several small healthy meals everyday that focus more on proteins, good fats and sugars,” the actor reveals.
While his fitness levels are indeed very evident, that's surprisingly not how Arjun spends most of his free time, as we discover. “While staying fit is definitely important to me, I also like to spend a lot of time on producing music these days. My interest began many years ago when I was asked to prepare for a role that involved music. As I prepared, I realised I really like this and today, I compose my own music. I play the guitar, the piano and I sing; and I hope to release a bunch of singles, including the first two: Idiyappam and Yaaro, very soon,” Arjun enthuses.
And what about your recent stint with voiceovers, we ask. “Well, being the voice for Milind Soman in Doctor (2021) was definitely an amazing experience and I hope it leads to a lot more work in this field,” he concludes.
romal@newindianexpress.com
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