June 05, 2011 Y. Sunitha Chowdhary
"Just because my father is a producer, one can't expect me to camouflage my limitations for a long time. The audience is smart and it is difficult to keep the show going for such a long time if I didn't have the stuff. Rojuki oka newcomer vasthunnadu, competition stiff ga undhi," he says matter of factly and talks fondly of his brother Vikram who passionately promotes his films. Everyone can make a film but not all can take it to the audience the right way.
Vaadu Veedu landed in his hands when Arya, his costar and friend of 16 years introduced him to Bala. The director already had made up his mind to cast Vishal for Walter's role, a man who is a stage performer and the actor who had danced, romanced and fought on the screen all his career was more than happy to sport a squint and go that extra mile to be a full-fledged actor.
When he went to the doctor for advice the latter thought he was crazy and told him that people approach him to correct their sight and here he is to get the squint. It was hard work thereafter, he had to look in a particular way for eight hours every day for 230 days, there were times when his migraine shot up and thought his head would explode.
Vishal quips, "I thought it was my last film but I was hell bent on having this film as a reference point for people who would act and behaved like me. There hasn't been a single project on a role performed with script, even a small school skit, I googled and looked out on the youtube as well."
Many people warned him for taking a break and doing Bala's film at this point of time in his career but he says confidently the film will shock the Telugu people who thought he was a clichéd actor and equates one Bala's film to ten commercial films. His rapport and chemistry with Arya was fantastic better than what he shared with his heroine.
He laughs, "I don't think even Arya's parents must have hit him so much like I did in the movie. I whacked the hell out of him, Bala would ask for one shot and you know his one shot is equal to three shots." Ask the tall, dark and handsome actor on his single status and he doesn't shy away from giving a stereotyped reply, "Not in the near future when it happens will definitely let everyone know."
How does he maintain such a sturdy physique, he must be a thorough fitness freak? The actor was asked to put on 15 kilos for the role and he went shapeless. Bala asked him to sport a paunch for the first five minutes of the film. The director waited for seven months, would ask him to lift his shirt regularly and only when he saw the fat he wanted he began shooting.
Now that the film is done, Vishal is trying to get that adipose tissue off, but as of now he is anxious for the feedback of Vaadu Veedu, the bilingual which will hit the screens on June 10th.
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