Vishal has come a long way, from Pandem Kodi to Palnadu. In his career spanning about a decade, he has seen many ups and downs as a star, as an actor and in his own words, as a professional and as a human being as well. But as you converse, the human being in him clearly shadows all the other personas and honesty is all over his speech and body language.

Vishal’s ‘Palnadu’ is releasing on Deepavali and this is even more significant to his career coz this is his maiden venture as a producer on his own banner ‘Vishal Film Factory’ though he acted in many of his home productions with banner GK Film Corp before.

In a chat with IndiaGlitz, the actor has made a conscious attempt to speak in Telugu and succeeded in that, about the film ‘Palnadu’, about the director ‘Susheendran, his team, challenges in playing the dual role of producer and actor, his future projects, his predicaments in turning a producer and more.

Excerpts from the chat...

I Vishal, Wish All...

Hello to all IndiaGlitz viewers, Wish you all a happy Deepavali with ‘Palnadu’. My maiden production venture ‘Palnadu’ is about to be released on the 2nd of November, as a Deepavali gift to all the Telugu audiences and I wish you all watch the film and bless me.

Sushi Is The Man...

Susheendran is a director who is ambidextrous in dealing with experimental and commercial subjects. So, he alternates between the two but in Palnadu, we have a combination of both experimental ideas and commercial ingredients. My character has both realistic and larger than life shades and was challenging me regularly. I am sure people would sit up and notice me as a performer.

My Role Is Timid...

My role of Siva Kumar is a quiet and timid character. He doesn’t indulge into fights, just stops by and watches it. He even stammers when he is excited and it actually took me great effort to go into the skin of the character since I myself am quite opposite to Siva’s character. But thanks to my director, I could really portray it with command as we went by.

Why Vishal Film Factory...

Vishal Film Factory is stemmed out of some bad experiences I had to face in the industry from some producers. As I said before, it’s a decision I took half out of vengeance and the other half inspiration. The moment I heard this story, I was sure about the potential but when some producer kept it on hold for a long period and talking about me as the reason for the delay, I felt bad and I immediately initiated the production company and that’s how VFF came about.

Hats Off To All Producers...

Yes, I felt the pinch of doing the dual role of producer and the hero of the film, not thru the production but now, a week before the release of the film. I say, hats off to all the producers who do a commendable job of releasing the film to the plan coz I knew how hard it is. But while the production was on, I was not burdened with the producer’s issues coz I had a good team and we worked for the plan. This project, in particular, I am doing to prove a point that I can do such complex roles, yet make it a commercial success. That’s why, I am going all out and I am loving the challenges.

Iman Breathed Life Thru Music...

Iman is one of the heroes of the project, with his sound tracks and BG scores. The songs are already chartbusters in Tamil and the reason for the quality is the freedom the director gave his composer. Susheendran didn’t involve in the compositions and that threw the challenge to Iman to come out with his best and the BG scores, especially in the climax, it’s a new life.

Sushi’s Other Name Is Clarity...

The moment his team is on, they were all on the same page. Including the cinematographer Madhi, Fight master Anil Abhi, choreographer Sobhi, Art Director Rajiv and editor Anthony… everyone was as inspired and clear in their vision of what the product is going to be and did their individual jobs perfectly to the plan. So, we started on the 24th May and here we are, releasing the movie on Deepavali.

Lakshmi Menon Is No Glam Doll...

Lakshmi Menon has a great following in family circles in Tamil and an image as a clean girl and the role of the school teacher Malathi in the film takes it forward, of course with a surprise.

Simple Story, Superb Screenplay...

‘Palnadu’ is a revenge story of a middle class guy, to keep it simple and in one line. But what makes this film special is the story telling, the screenplay. I am sure you’d love it.

I Evolved...

Past about decade, I have learnt a lot, more from my failures than my successes. I have evolved as a human being, got matured in my thinking and behavior. But one striking improvement I can say is in my Telugu speaking ability. It improved greatly as I have been doing films.

'Vaadu Veedu' Is My Best...

I regard ‘Vadu Veedu’ as my best as an actor. The satisfaction and inspiration it gave me as a performer is unbelievable. ‘Pandem Kodi’ has been a commercially successful venture but ‘Vadu Veedu’ is close to my heart.

Image Is Imagination

Image is not documented but an imagination that the audience gives you as an actor. When the audiences have received me well in my mass roles, it’s my responsibility to keep it up and do roles to meet the image. ‘Palnadu’ is perhaps the attempt to restructure my image from entirely massy street fighter to a family guy.

My Next ventures...

My next film is with director Thiru titled ‘Naan Sigappu Manithan’ in Tamil and we haven’t finalized Telugu title as yet. It’s a UTV Co-production, we are shooting from the 10th November onwards and plan to release it on the 11th April. I am going to concentrate on my own banner VFF for the coming one year including my Tamil and straight Telugu venture as well, which I will do next year in Sasikanth’s direction. We will introduce and give opportunity to talented actors, directors and other technicians on my banner.

No Wedding... Not Yet...

Marriage not on cards for some time and when it is, you will be