Chiyaan Vikram: I was bedridden for 3 years, underwent 23 surgeries, the doctor said I would never be able to walk

In the last three decades, Pan India star Chiyaan Vikram has seen so many ups and downs in his/her career and personal life that his/her real life has also been like a film story. After a tough struggle and an accident, this actor who was bedridden for three years, did not give up. Vikram, who has given many famous films in the South Industry, has been accepted by Hindi audiences with Aparichit and Aai. These days he/she is in the news for his/her new film Tangalan, a conversation with him/her.

There was a time when South and Bollywood actors were considered different in the entertainment industry, but now they are called Pan India stars. How do you see this change?
I don’t know what to say about this. If the film does good business all over India, then it will be called a Pan India movie and its actors will be Pan India actors. I think this is a very good era. Language does not matter now. You make a film in any language, if it connects with the people, then it is a successful film. Now take the example of Kantara. It was a local Kannada or Mangalorean film. It belongs to the border of Kerala, but the whole country felt connected to that film and that was only because its content was very strong. Our film is also like that. In the colonial period in the nineteenth century, everyone has gone through those circumstances. This film has grief, conflict and there is also a song like Murga-Murgi, which connects the whole country. Now take the example of Minnal Murali. This small budget Malayalam film was liked so much by the people. That film was not released in theatres, but this OTT release got a lot of praise due to its content. You would call Tovino Thomas a pan India artist, right? So I consider all of us artists as pan India artists. The only difference is that today I want pav bhaji and tomorrow I want biryani. You want to try different things. Something similar is with films as well. Now the audience watches the film with subtitles and enjoys it.

Your film Aparichit, which was released almost two decades ago, made you a favourite of the Hindi audience. How was that unprecedented response for you?
For me, that was amazing. What does an artist need? Love and acceptance from the audience. I was just in class 3 when I started acting and there were only 20-22 children in the class. Then I performed in front of 100 children and when I went to a girls school, there were 400 students, so I mean you want to show your art in front of a bigger audience. I remember the film became a hit in Andhra Pradesh, I was at the airport in Mumbai and people were seeing me, recognizing me and at that time I was very overwhelmed, I thought oh my god people of Mumbai are recognizing me. Someone told me that you are a very big star, it was a very pleasant feeling to hear this in those days. Then later when I went to France and people recognized me there too, I was very happy. What I mean to say is that an artist wants to reach as many people as possible and when he/she reaches, he/she gets a different kind of happiness.
Your stories of struggle have inspired countless people? What was the roughest phase?
I had been dreaming of becoming an actor since my school days. I was preparing for my college play when I met with an accident. I had to remain bedridden for three years and underwent 23 surgeries. I was told that I would never be able to walk, but the same doctor was surprised when he/she saw me walking after five years. Actually, when I saw the film Naache Mayuri, I felt that if Sudha Chandran can dance and act despite losing one leg, then I can do it too. Even after that, there was a struggle of ten years in my life, when I used to do dubbing etc. But today I can do acting, dance and action. I feel that whatever I am today, wherever I have reached, it is because of that accident and struggle.

Who are the directors in Bollywood with whom you want to work?
I would like to work with everyone, but Vishal Bhardwaj is one director with whom I really want to work. I have his/her number too. I called him/her, but he/she thought it was a prank call. Vishal’s crazy subjects and his/her music attract me a lot. I like Rajkumar Hirani’s work a lot. I would also like to act under his/her direction.

You have played many memorable characters on screen. Is there any character in which you got completely immersed?
My film Sethu was released in 1999. Later, Salman Khan’s Tere Naam was made on this in Hindi. That was the beginning of my career. In the first part, I followed the director’s instructions, but in the post-interval portion, I stopped eating and drinking. I used to eat only one roti and carrot or beetroot juice and one egg white. I had to lose weight, so I used to walk 8.5 kms daily. For the film, I wore the same costume for 21 days, so that it looked worn out and old. How do street dwellers’ clothes look worn out? So I also went into that zone. After that, I suffered a lot for Sivaputrudu and Aniyan, but in Deiva Thirumagal, I played the role of a mentally challenged 7-year-old child. That character also drained me to a great extent. I met mentally challenged people, so it affected me deeply. That role disturbed me a lot.

In your latest film Tangalan, you play an ancient character based on the history of Kolar Fields. What challenges did you face while playing this character?
The whole process was very difficult. It was very challenging for me. Since the director of the film is Pa Ranjit, I completely trusted him/her regarding this role and look. Looking at the kind of response the film is getting and the appreciation people are giving, it seems that it has been translated very beautifully. If I say that this was the most physically and mentally difficult role of my career so far, then it would not be wrong. It was also spiritually challenging for me, because through this character I was talking about the struggles of a community. One thing I realized through this film is that I am growing more as an actor and I would like to do more such difficult roles.