Vinay Rajkumar on staying grounded, fitness and life beyond his legacy

My grandfather and uncle Puneet were great inspirations to my fitness journey. I was laidback and a lazy boy in school. I remember during an 800 metre run, I ran the first 400 and walked the rest. But, I have taken up fitness seriously since college. To fight monotony, I run, train in martial arts and do a little yoga along with gym. Fitness is important not just because I am an actor, but also because it is a necessary part of a healthy life. I do not have a strict diet plan as such, because my grandfather always said do not hold back while eating, but make sure we burn it out. If I need to be fit for a movie, I hit the gym 5-6 days a week, if not it’s 3 or 4 days.

Fashion is not important to me. I wear the first thing I find and do not run behind trends or fancy clothes. I feel most comfortable in clothes that are four or five years old. Also, I can buy expensive clothes because I have the privilege, but a fan who aspires to dress like me may unnecessarily spend a fortune. As long as I feel comfortable and well presented, I am happy. The confidence must come from within and not from the clothes we wear.

I take advantage of my age, where I do not need any skincare routine yet. I may start it in a few years. Even after makeup, I only use wet wipes to get it off. Most of the characters I play need a natural look and often do not need glamorous make up. Even for Graamaayana, it was very minimal. My earlier movie 10 or upcoming City Lights did not have any make up either. I get a few treatments done to maintain healthy hair, but zero for skin, not even home remedies.

The foundation of my life, my values and upbringing was based around movies my grandfather, father and uncles made. Watching an actor in a film is different from a family member doing it. The way I looked at cinema changed from a very young age. The lessons they taught through the movies had an impact on my life. As a profession, cinema taught me patience and to live in the present, enjoy the journey rather than worry about the past or future.

The approach to each role and character varies. The priority is to what the director wants. The guidance helps me grow as an actor drawing in from the vast experience they carry.

I definitely revisit my roles often, watching it from different perspectives. Sometimes for fun and the nostalgic memories and sometimes to learn from the mistakes made. I also compare if I have grown in terms of acting.

Movies are similar to music. It depends on the mood and changes very often. I watch movies from all languages, but the easiest to watch are rom-coms, as we can go with the flow. I also enjoy action movies and intense drama.

Before I start a project, I always watch as many movies as possible that are of the same genre or with similar characters or stories. I start with my grandfather’s movies, uncle’s and my dad’s before moving on to other movies. I watch movies by Dhanush and Vijay Sethupathi to understand the approach to a character; Nawazuddin Siddiqui, for the free and smooth performance style. I enjoy watching Leonardo DiCaprio as well. Referring to actors helps me learn from the variety of performances and be better prepared for my character.

I grew up in a joint family with over 50 members in the house. I do not remember a day when I had to spend time alone and privacy was non-existent. I got my own room only after I joined college. During the holidays, a typical day would be playing cricket, football or hide and seek after breakfast, coming back for lunch with the whole family and watching movies. We even had a family bus and went out on trips together with all relatives and families.

I have learned to dissect the fear, get to the root of it and resolve one cause after another. I understand where the fear is coming from or what caused the fear. Accepting I am afraid and not running away helps me overcome fear. The duration to conquer will differ from a few seconds to months, but in the end I succeed.

It is a process that every actor must go through. In my earlier days I would take all the comments and reviews to heart. Though criticism helps us improve, after my first film, a few comments had put me in a spot to reconsider acting. But over the years, I realised it is their opinion and they have the freedom to express it. A few may say the right things, a few will say the wrong, but we cannot stop the comments. As actors we should navigate around it considering it is a perspective of the person.

The audience can always expect improvement. I make sure that with each project my acting, the movies I select gets better than the previous one. I intend to show different lifestyles and cultures from our state. Graamaayana is ready for release. We have also wrapped up City Lights, my next movie. I must mention that every individual who has worked in City Lights was equally passionate about the project. It was a very enriching experience for me.