Telugu actor Vishwak Sen was last seen in romantic comedy Paagal, which was released theatrically on August 14 and began streaming on Amazon Prime Video from September 3. While he has a variety of acting roles in his kitty, including his current film Ashoka Vanam Lo Arjuna Kalyanam, it is a role in a “purely rural action drama” that he is waiting for, reveals the five-film-old actor during a conversation with Silverscreen India.
Sen’s filmography covers a range of genres: action, comedy, romance, and drama. Asked which genre he is more drawn towards, the actor says it is drama. “Be it action or love stories, Baahubali or Arjun Reddy, every film needs drama,” he opines.
Sen is also eyeing “exciting and powerful” roles that can come to him in form of web series. “Sometimes, a couple of hours are not enough to tell a story. Web series give us the space to really expand on plots and characters,” he says.
The actor mentions that he cannot play the same character twice and getting to play new roles each time gives him the push to go to the sets. “In my next few films, I will be playing a very calm and geeky guy, a lover boy, and student leader in an action film, which I will be producing as well,” he reveals.
Sen has frequently collaborated with debutant filmmakers. Three of his previous films, Paagal, Vellipomakey (2017), and HIT: The First Case (2020), have been directed by newcomers. The actor reveals that his upcoming three films are also set to be helmed by debutants.
The filmmakers he has worked with have all impressed him, he asserts. Sen feels that even experienced filmmakers would have missed the details that director Naresh Kuppili had included in Paagal.
“When I work with a filmmaker, I need to feel like I am an apprentice to them and know less than they do. They need to have more knowledge than me. I’m not impressed with people whose storyline I can easily predict. And when I pick a script, it is always 60% about the story and the rest is based on the maker,” the actor adds.
Sen has himself donned the director’s hat in the past, and says he will soon do so again. The actor, who wrote, directed, and produced Falaknuma Das, the Telugu remake of the Malayalam film Angamaly Diaries, in 2019, adds, “I am working on two stories. One is a sequel to Falaknuma Das and the other is based on an out-and-out crazy storyline. Right now, I am developing these scripts. You will see me directing in 2022.”
In a previous conversation with us, Paagal’s director Naresh had said that he drew inspiration for the film from the 2004 Allu Arjun-starrer Arya. However, as an actor, Sen says he primarily takes inputs from his director and avoids using the performances of other actors as reference.
“I would ask Naresh if the character would behave in a certain way and if he approved, I’d perform that way. When writing, it’s okay to be inspired by people, life stories, and other films. But, when it comes to acting, I think it is very harmful to take inspiration from anyone’s performance. So, I did not use any such reference for my performance in Paagal. You need to do your own research to get a fresh output.”
Ahead of Paagal’s theatrical release, Sen had taken to Instagram, requesting support for the film which was arriving on the big screen in the midst of the pandemic. “This time, theatres have reopened after a very huge loss and we have been seeing bad times in the industry. Since our film was coming out at this critical juncture, I wanted to request everyone to give us support,” he tells us.
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The actor reveals that he only uses social media sparingly. “I request my friends not to tell me anything that goes on in social media. The reality is different from what’s going on in Twitter. If you get trolled on Twitter, immediately you need to go to cinema halls. You will see the opposite happening there with the audience enjoying your film.” Sen, who is not on Twitter now, says he will join the social media platform after giving a handful of hits.
The actor, who has started to shoot for Ashoka Vanam Lo Arjuna Kalyanam, is also headlining the Telugu remake of the Tamil romantic comedy Oh My Kadavule, alongside Mithila Palkar. He says the title of the remake will be announced in a couple of weeks. Sen adds that both these films will land in theatres and OTTs in less than six months.