He is the son of Tamil star Chiyaan Vikram and while he made his Tamil debut in 2019 with the remake of the superhit Telugu film Arjun Reddy, it is director Mari Selvaraj's Bison Kaalamaadam that Dhruv Vikram has his hopes pinned on.
Diwali is the time when top star films release in Tamil Nadu but this year, it sees upcoming actor Dhruv's film hit theatres. How excited is he about this?
"I feel honoured that it is my Bison that's releasing for Diwali this year. I haven't watched the film yet and neither has my dad (Vikram). I'll be in the theatre nervously holding my mom and dad's hands and watching it," smiles Dhruv.
Bison is a rural sports drama, written and directed by Mari Selvaraj, that revolves around a kabbadi player (Dhruv).
"The last few years of my life have been spent on this film. I didn't do any workshops as such but I spent a lot of time with people in the place where we shot (Tirunelveli). I played kabbadi, did farming and took part in the everyday life of the people there for several months. That was my workshop. I have worked hard on this film, and I hope that people like the film," he adds.
Director Mari Selvaraj is known for his socially conscious films, and Bison too has this element, states Dhruv. "This movie does have a social theme, but I can't reveal anything about it much. Mari Selvaraj is the most hands-on director I have seen. For instance, he also played kabbadi with me (as I underwent training for weeks) and both of us broke our hands, but we kept at it. I think everyone should work with him," says the Mahaan actor.
Mari Selvaraj was apprehensive about whether Dhruv could pull off this tough role and had told him that they would start to shoot only after he completed his training and the director felt he was ready.
While Dhruv made his debut in 2019, Bison is only his third film, which he considers his debut. Ask him why and replies, "I don't regret doing Adithya Varma, but it was an exact remake of Arjun Reddy, and everyone knew what was going to happen - it was only my acting that was different. In Mahaan, which is my father's film, I played a small role, and it was a direct OTT release. Bison is where I shoulder the film and play the protagonist, and I have committed several years to training and working hard for the role. Thus, for me, this is like my debut. I think Bison was the right film for me to showcase a completely different side of me."
Dhruv acknowledges that Vikram plays a significant role in his life, and when you ask him if he feels pressure being Vikram's son or is motivated, he quickly replies, "Both. Dad has always been there for me, and I used to talk to him a lot, especially when I suffered injuries, because he has been through a lot during his career. He used to keep me motivated. Dad does play a role in my film decisions but I think soon I'll be handling these on my own. My parents wanted me to do Bison because they felt it would really be good for my career. I hope to make them proud with Bison because I wasn't a great student, and they always used to get called to school because of me."
Bison: Kaalamaadam is jointly produced by Applause Entertainment and Pa Ranjith's Neelam Studios. The movie stars Dhruv Vikram, Anupama Parmeswaran, Lal, Pasupathy, Rajisha Vijayan, Hari Krishnan and others. The movie is set to release on October 17.
