Like no other

sandalwood reign

You cannot miss him if you are moving around in Bengaluru. He is everywhere — on hoardings, telling you to drive safely and also that he’s watching you; on huge film posters.

Of course, that’s the versatile actor Sudeep. Given his hectic work schedules, he is a gentleman. He called me back about this interview when I messaged him to ask for his availability.

Debuting in 1997, Sudeep has delivered several stellar performances in films like Sparsha, Huchcha (which earned him the moniker Kiccha), Swathi Muthu, Eega, among others. He will soon complete two decades in the industry, and naturally, I ask him how he looks back at his journey. “All kinds of emotions exist when I look back. When I set out on this path, the thoughts were to do good films, and if people would accept me. After that came a phase of wanting to act more and go ahead. I’ve also been in a phase where nothing went right, and then I found the driving power to sustain myself in the industry. This is not a competitive sport. For me, at the end of the day, only cinema matters. It’s a long-term relationship between us.”

Playing god

Sudeep’s latest at the box office, Mukunda Murari, has him playing god alongside actor Upendra. “I saw a non-ambitious person in him. And when two people work in their own space, the work becomes really enjoyable!” He adds, “When I was approached for the role, I took it on as just a character to play, but its heaviness hit me hard when I started to shoot. I asked myself a simple question, ‘Why would god be expressive?’ Since he knows everything, I felt that the best way to emote would be to not show any expression.” Sudeep admits that he steered the role as required once he started to remain calm.

Sudeep has been successful in directing the film Maanikya. When would he next take on that mantle? “It’s a conflict, because, as a director, I have to devote (direction) a lot of time. Moreover, it doesn’t feel right to cut off the many people who write scripts for me and wait with awe in their eyes to work with me. I find happiness in being a part of someone else’s scripts.”

The actor’s deep and commanding voice has many a times breathed life into songs, starting in 2001 (‘O Sona, O Sona’ and ‘Vasantha Maasadalli’ from Vaalee; ‘Damaru Bole’ and ‘Deola Deola’ from Mandya to Mumbai. For him, he likes to sing simply because “I enjoy music.”

As the face of the Kannada reality show Big Boss, currently in the fourth season, he says that the stage is something else. “There are times when I only shoot for Big Boss and there are times when I have no time at all, so I shoot for it on weekends. The crew counts on me to host it, and I know that I’m the only source of entertainment for the contestants. That drives me, and I go there to ensure that they are okay for the next week.”

Ads and the actor

Beyond the realm of acting, directing and hosting, Sudeep’s responsibility as a brand ambassador covers a plethora of products. He says that it’s a journey that has grown organically. “As long as the products are not harmful to the public, I’m happy to be in people’s lives.

Earlier, I had this phobia that a product I endorse may not sell. But with time, I decided to start. When I was associated with Bangalore Traffic Police’s ‘safe driving’ campaign, I was glad that people were reading safety messages because of my picture in it. And this is something I do because it gives me a sense of fulfilment. It’s giving something back to people.” His other way of connecting with people and his fans is through the social media, but, “I’m only on Twitter. It’s not just for my films, but if I tweet my support for a film of an upcoming actor and promote his film, it makes him and me happy,” he says. Sudeep has learnt to see people as they are, independent of imperfections. That’s one of the greatest lessons he has learnt, he mentions.

Does he have a dream role? “I would say that the best thing about being in the film industry is that we can live our dream. And after we go to sleep, there is no other dream. We are fabricating so much as actors and doing something new all the time. As an actor, you cannot have a particular character to dream of. But rather, each day on the sets, it is important that you do something new.”

He is currently working on Hebbuli, an action thriller, most likely to be released in December. Sudeep’s mantra is simple; he takes on one film at a time and keeps the next one ready, and he knows that this works for him. With his dedication to all things cinema, here is an actor who has weathered many a storm in his personal and professional life to emerge stronger, to do what he loves doing — entertaining the masses.