In the era of PAN India films, where big production houses and A-list actors aim to capture the hearts of audiences across the country, the Tamil Film Industry has successfully kept itself away from the trend. Despite not marketing many films with the catchy title of a PAN India film, the industry has still been able to captivate audiences across the country and even the world, thanks to its supreme content. One name that stands tall among the stars of the Tamil Film Industry is Chiyaan Vikram.
Over the past 20 years, Vikram has delivered some of the finest films in the industry. He has a unique ability to enter the skin of the character he is playing, quite literally, which sets him apart from his colleagues. This trend was started in the Indian film industry by Kamal Hasaan and has been successfully carried forward by Vikram.
Vikram in Sethu. The movie was remade in Hindi named ‘Tere Naam’.
Vikram’s latest film, Thangalaan, directed by Pa Ranjith, features the actor in the character of a mine worker and in the officially released visuals from the film, he is unrecognisable. This is not the first time Vikram has transformed himself for a role. In fact, his ability to undergo drastic physical and emotional transformations has been the hallmark of his career.
One of the highlights of Vikram’s career was his breakthrough performance in the 1999 film Sethu, directed by Bala. The film saw the journey of a college student from being a rowdy to ending up in a mental asylum. Vikram’s portrayal of the character was intense and garnered critical acclaim.
A still from Pithamagan
Another notable performance by Vikram was in the film Pithamagan, where he played a subhuman man who grew up among corpses and animals since birth. His portrayal of the character, who did not understand human emotions, was widely praised and won him a National Award for Best Actor.
In the film Anniyan, Vikram played three radically different characters as his character suffered from multiple personality disorder. This was a different challenge for Vikram, who had mostly played characters with duality before this.
Vikram also collaborated with Mani Ratnam for the retelling of Ramayana in the form of Ravanan. The film may have been a financial failure, but Vikram’s acting performance received widespread critical acclaim.
Vikram in Raavanan. Credits – Airtel Xstream
However, the performance that truly blew everyone’s mind was Vikram’s character in Shankar’s I. The actor underwent extreme physical transformations for the film, building the physique of a bodybuilder for the initial portions, then slimming down to a leaner model-like physique, and finally dropping a significant amount of weight to play a disease-stricken hunchback.
Vikram’s ability to transform himself for a role and enter the skin of his character has earned him a special place in the Tamil Film Industry. He never becomes bigger than the product that he is a part of and delivers on the promise he showed in Sethu. His performances have garnered critical acclaim and left audiences in awe of his skills. Chiyaan Vikram is undoubtedly the master of transformation in Tamil cinema.
