'I want to play a superhero'

In Action

“I would like to play a character straight out of a comic book. There’s a certain mystery about it and we haven’t had such a movie in South India,” Vishal says.

Vishal plays a cop in Vedi, directed by Prabhu Deva. His role is that of a cop who ventures out in search of his long-lost sister. He finally finds her but his fight for justice and his determination to uphold what is fair and just earns him a lot of enemies – so much so that gangs set out to finish him off.

The movie has gory scenes like beheading and mindless killing but Vishal feels action sells. “The old and the young alike have loved my character and they come to the theatres to watch action. Then why not?” he wonders and adds, “As long as there is no overdose of action, it’s fine.”

Vishal reveals that he never wanted to be an actor. He went to study visual communication at Loyola College in Chennai to become a director. “There’s never a dull moment behind the camera. A director is always on his toes to ensure that every scene falls in place. Every director is a multi-tasker but I was advised to get into acting and it clicked,” he says. Vishal has worked behind the camera and feels that this helps him a great deal when he faces the camera.

Dubbed as an action hero, Vishal informs that apart from the numerous action roles he has done, the squint-eyed person’s character in Avan Ivan is something that he’d cherish for a lifetime. “You could call it a milestone in my career. The challenge was to hold the squint through the film. That movie established me as a true actor. That’s when I really got noticed and that was the surprise element,” he observes.

In his next project, Samaran, Vishal plays a guy who treks in the hills. “The role is exciting. I usually pack my bags and stray off to the hills. Himalayas is my favourite destination and trekking helps keep a check on my health and physical endurance,” he says.

Vishal has his roots in Bangalore. His father is a Kannadiga who lived in Bangalore for a long time until he moved to Chennai. “I was born in Chennai but I often come to Bangalore to visit my cousins,” he wraps up.