Vikram takes on Vikram in Raavan clash

As southern superstar Vikram steps into Bollywood at the age of 44 with Raavan, he is acutely aware of going where perhaps no Indian actor has gone before. (Text: IANS)

In the Hindi version, he will be seen in a positive role as Aishwarya's husband while in Tamil he will play Beera, a negative character being essayed by Abhishek in the Hindi version. (Text: IANS)

Vikram is perhaps the first actor who is doing a film in two different languages and playing two different characters in them. (Text: IANS)

"No one in the world has done the same film in two languages and with a different role. I think that was something that got me hooked," said Vikram. "For many days I had to shoot simultaneously in both the languages. It was amazing. I would do a sequence then I would go and change the make-up, take out all the dirt and blood, put another design of dirt and blood and do a sequence for the second language. Usually make-up takes an hour, but for this film here I had to get ready in 10 minutes to finish the fight sequences," he added. (Text: IANS)

Vikram loves playing challenging roles. Be it the obsessive lover who ends up in an asylum in Sethu or the lonely graveyard caretaker in Pithamagan. But the actor says that Raavan was special. (Text: IANS)

He admits to being initially scared to be part of the Hindi version of director Mani Ratnam's Raavan but says his co-star Aishwarya Rai's brilliant performance in the Tamil venture boosted his confidence. (Text: IANS)

"Initially, I was very scared because I had this mental block. What kept me going was that Ash didn't know Tamil and she was doing so well," said Vikram in an interview. "Had I been only doing the Hindi version, I would have been really worried. But it is also in Tamil and everyone made me feel quite comfortable," he added. (Text: IANS)

"I had to do two characters. But she had to play the same character twice in two languages one after another. For example, if she had to climb a rock with me, she'd do it, climb down and then do it again with Abhishek." (Text: IANS)

Vikram also said he had been wanting to work with Ratnam for a long time. "We had been planning to work together for the last couple of years, but it didn't happen. The dates didn't match, scripts didn't work out. Finally, for this he called me," he said. (Text: IANS)

Asked whether he would cast a spell on Bollywood, he said: "I guess forgetting everything and coming here (Bollywood) and working would have bothered me. They called me and I really liked the script... I, of course, loved the thought that my audience was going to be much larger. There are lots of people who watch my films. Now those who don't speak Tamil even they will watch my films. That's something that excites me." (Text: IANS)

Vikram has taken his time making an entry into Hindi films. "That's because my work in the south has been time-consuming. All my Tamil films take one to two years. I like to take my time over my projects. I didn't want to enter Hindi cinema until I was ready." (Text: IANS)

"The work in Mumbai is so exciting. When I saw Rang De Basanti, Lagaan, 3 Idiots and My Name Is Khan, I wanted to be part of them. I wish we could make films like that in Tamil...Most Tamil films are rustic, rural, rugged and violent. Many of them are set in Madurai, which is known to be an aggressive city," he added. (Text: IANS)

Vikram sounded very happy to play the negative role of Raavan in the movie. He said, "I would love to be a Raavan because you can try 10 different things with it."

Vikram is a national award winning film actor. He mainly acts in Tamil and Malayalam language films.

Besides acting, he is also a film producer, playback singer and dubbing artist. He made his debut in the 1990 film En Kadhal Kanmani, which was followed by a series of low-budget Tamil and Telugu films throughout the early decade.

After the critical and commercial success of Sethu (1999) he has been part of numerous other commercially successful films and has earned major critical acclaim for many of his performances.

During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won three Filmfare Awards, as well as securing India's most prestigious film award, by achieving the National Film Award for Best Actor.

Some of Vikram's best-known Tamil films are Dhill (2001), Gemini (2002), Dhool (2003), Saamy (2003) and Bheema.

Still from Raavanan.

Still from Raavanan.

Still from Raavanan.