Sanchari Vijay: A promising career cut short

Sanchari Vijay's performance in 'Naanu Avanalla...Avalu' received praise from the transgender community. 

Destiny always had a different plan for Sanchari Vijay. Soon after the Kannada actor passed away in a road accident on Tuesday, people’s focus fell on ‘Naanu Avanalla… Avalu’ (2015), the hard-hitting autobiographical drama that brought him a National Award.

Today, it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role of a woman trapped in a man’s body. His portrayal of a transgender person is his career best performance. Interestingly, Vijay wasn’t the first choice for the film.

“The movie was based on the life of Living Smile Vidya, the well-known theatre artist and transgender activist. Vidya didn’t want an actor doing the role,” the film’s director B S Lingadevaru tells Showtime.

“She wanted only a transgender to play her on screen. So, we shortlisted some people from the community. But they struggled to portray the behaviour of a man, which was crucial for the film,” he recollects.

Lingadevaru was convinced that Vijay was the perfect choice when writer Jogi showed him a clipping of ‘Oggarane’, directed by Prakash Raj. “Vijay essayed a small character with similar shades. When we approached him, he was worried about getting typecast in such roles. After I requested him to trust my instinct, he agreed. Vidya too gave her consent,” says Lingadevaru.

Vijay gave it his all for a character that demanded strong physical performance. “His body language wasn’t exaggerated. The biggest positive was the consistency in his depiction of Vidya, who is shunned by family and society. I still get emotional thinking of how well he showcased the physical pain of a transgender after the sex-change surgery,” says the filmmaker.

For one without godfathers, the critical acclaim for the film came as a ray of hope. An engineer, Vijay had discovered his interest in theatre while teaching computer science to diploma students.

Foraying into films after a solid stint with Sanchari Theatre, a Bengaluru-based drama troupe, he was among the likes of Sathish Ninasam and Dhananjay who struggled to find a space in films.

In his short 25-film career, he excelled in complex roles. In Mansore’s ‘Harivu’ (2014), he delivered a poignant performance as a farmer trying to get treatment for his terminally ill son in Bengaluru. He brought great warmth to his role of a visually challenged person in ‘Krishna Tulasi’ (2018).

Performers with a background in theatre don’t hesitate to break stereotypes and experiment, says writer Vasudhendra. Vijay starred in many plays adapted from Vasudhendra’s books.

“In theatre, the first lesson taught is that ‘everybody is equal’. You are encouraged to love the art form more than fame and money. So they grow into passionate performers and see people from all communities with respect. That is the reason you saw Vijay opt for roles hardly explored,” he notes.

He did try to break the image of a ‘character’ actor, though. That’s why we saw him play a cop in ‘6ne Maili’ and ‘Gentleman’ and an STF officer in ‘Killing Veerappan’. Some performances were run of the mill, without the backing of a solid script.

Superstars like Sudeep, Darshan and Shivarajkumar have praised his skills. However, there weren’t enough writers to conceive subjects suited for his abilities. However, Mansore, in ‘Nathicharami’ (2018) managed to show Vijay compellingly in a not-so-unusual role. The film on female sexuality had Vijay playing an arrogant, misogynistic husband. Sruthi Hariharan, the film’s lead, explains how Vijay made the character look real.

“The film was a beautiful dichotomy of relationships. It was intriguing to see a man seeped in patriarchal views finding friendship with an independent woman. Vijay embraced the character’s strengths and flaws. If not for his acting, ‘Nathicharami’ would have been imbalanced,” she says.

It disturbed Vijay that his career hadn’t taken off in a big way even after the National Award. It is surprising but true that many film buffs confessed to not knowing him at all when he passed away.

“If a National Award always opened the doors to a successful career, then Vijay would have been popular and rich. It’s ironic that people are talking about his potential after his death,” rues an up-and-coming actor.

Vijay’s friends say he was filled with dreams. He had pinned big hopes on ‘Taledanda’, in which he plays a mentally challenged tribal youth concerned about the environment.

“The film brought back my childhood days. I hope to do films that impact a larger audience,” he had said. But destiny, like always, had another plan. A cruel one this time.

Sanchari days

N Mangala, founder of Sanchari Theatre, remembers Vijay as a constant learner. “In his 12-year stint, he rose from performer to director and mentor. Despite the National Award, he continued to be the humble person we knew. He remained sincere to theatre despite getting busy in films and was always involved in our troupe’s activities," she says.