Interview with Actor Irfan

Irfan of Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal fame talks to Only Kollywood about his onscreen career, his upcoming film Ponge Ezhu Manohara, which hits screens Friday and more

Excerpts from the conversation

Everyone knows your tryst with the popular telly serial ‘Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal’. Tell us about your entry into K’town.

Actually, cinema has been my first ambition. Before venturing into television, I would have at least knocked doors of nearly hundreds of offices every day seeking chance. My first role was in Srikanth-starrer ‘Mercury Pookkal’ directed by SS Stanley where I did a brief cameo role as a junior artist nine years back. I continued doing small roles in two to three films later. It was only after that I bagged a role in Vijay TV’s Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal. Then, my first significant role was in ‘Pattaalam’ where I played one of the leads. My first film as a solo lead was ‘Sundaattam’ though. Now, ‘Pongi Yezhu Manohara’ is ready.

So, is ‘Sundaattam’ a breakthrough for you as an actor?

Sundattam is a critically acclaimed film. It received good praise from film buffs. But, it didn’t provide any breakthrough for me as an actor; I was still hunting for opportunities. Then I made a decision that I should either do good films or pack up and go back to my hometown Madurai. I took a break for nearly one-and-a-half year. I even went to back to television with a role in Saravanan Meenaktchi. So, it’s more than 10 years of hard work now. After the release of ‘Ponge Ezhu Manohara’, I hope I will be considered a serious actor. The film has so much scope for my performance.

How did you land the lead role in Ponge Ezhu Manohara?

I have been listening to a lot of scripts, but nothing materialized. I was in Bangalore for a film called ‘Ru’. That was when I received a call from Ramesh Rangasamy, director of ‘Ponge Ezhu Manohara’. Usually, I receive calls from assistant directors and used to listen to scripts. I thought Ramesh’s call was also one such narration session before I got to know that he’s worked as a co-director with SA Chandrasekhar sir.  He told me the one-liner. It looked promising and I was impressed. So, I immediately came back to Chennai. The entire team was set to start the film. I signed up without any demands by keeping aside the salary factor. The film started rolling out in Sathyamangalam.

What can audiences expect in Ponge Ezhu Manohara?

It’s a complete comedy entertainer sketched on the lines of ‘Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kanom’. It’s a chain of comedic events set in the backdrop of Sathyamangalam. You would neither find any blunt jokes nor any social message being doled out. Our director has weaved a beautiful emotional story of a mother in the narration based on his real-life. He (Ramesh Rangasamy) saw his mother only when he was 21 years old. The entire plot treads on this powerful premise but told in a humorous manner. After a long time, people will enjoy the real, slapstick comedy popular in the 90s like the Sathyaraj – Goundamani films.

I and Singam Puli play milkmen in the film and the chemistry has worked out brilliantly between us. There’s no separate comedy track or whatsoever, you will find humor seamlessly laced into the narration.

What’s do you think are the hype and expectations for this film among audience?

Today, getting a theatrical release is itself a huge deal. We have genuinely worked in this film, which is replete with proper humorous content. We rely totally on the word-of-mouth of audiences and film buffs on the first day.

Ponge Ezhu Manohara hits screens this Friday. Irfan’s upcoming film Ru is under post-production.