Vishal Krishna: “Sandakozhi 2 Is My Most Expensive Film To Date”

The Tamil –Telugu actor  Vishal Krishna’s 25^th film Sandakozhi 2  has opened  to  roaring crowds singing and dancing in the theatres as they do for Rajinikanth’s films.

 Vishal sees  Sandakozhi 2   as a litmus test. “It is my most expensive film to date. I am also a producer  on the  project, so I know exactly where and how the  film was shot. Though we shot the film in   Madurai the main set of a Madurai mela(fair)  where a lot of action takes place was erected in Chennai . It remained  functional for more than two  months.”

Vishal who is now regarded as  one of the foremost star-actors of Tamil and Telugu cinema says the Sandakozhi  franchise fell into his lap by default. “I  was lucky. When  the  role was  first conceived more than  ten years  ago it was  offered  to two big stars(Vijay, Suriya) . Both said no. They wanted to play both the main roles  of  father and  son.”

In Sandakozhi 2   Vishal plays the son  while his father is  played by veteran Tamil actor Raj Kiran.

“It is  essential  to be true to the script, and not hog the limelight. I realized this early in my career.I’ve been trying to do films where the script  is the hero,  and not just me,” says  the softspoken actor.

Sandakozhi 2   is Vishal’s most massy entertainer ever. “I’ve worked hard on the  action and the dancing. My co-star Keerthi Suresh  had to perform  some really massy dance steps with me. We had a lot of fun dancing. I think that sense  of enjoyment shows on screen.You can’t fool the audience  into believing in what you don’t believe in.”

 How does he react  to his rising  popularity? “I want my  fan base to be used to spread awareness  on social issues, to work on improving condition for  the improvement of  the girl-child’s education.”

Another social issue that Vishal has been  working on  is film piracy.  Before the release  of Sandakozhi 2   he  was instrumental in stopping  the film’s release in a slew of theatres in Chennai.

 Says Vishal, “I think movie theatres  need  to take the responsibility  for  piracy far  more  seriously. They can’t just wash their hands off saying  audiences  secretly record  film on their camera. If some patrons steal a popcorn machine would the theatre management not take responsibility?  I think it is very important to  curb and eradicate  piracy from theatres. Our  attempts  in this endeavour are working. We took stringent action against theatres  for Mani Ratnam’s Chekka ChivanthaVanam. Now we’ve done  the same  with my Sandakozhi 2.”