From junior dancer to action star in 'Vikram': Vasanthi's blockbuster debut!

Those who have watched ‘Vikram’ will not forget the undercover agent who plays a domestic help and breaks into swashbuckling stunts out of the blue.  Meet Vasanthi, a junior dancer who has been working in Tamil cinema for the last 30 years. ‘Vikram’ was her big debut!

Vasanthi is dance choreographer Dinesh’s assistant. It was during the filming of ‘Vathi coming’ in ‘Master’ that Lokesh first noticed Vasanthi. She was one among the hundreds of junior dancers who were present at the shoot. Later it was Lokesh who called Dinesh and briefed him about Vasanthi’s character in ‘Vikram.’ Vasanthi recalls feeling on the top of the world when Dinesh master conveyed the news to her.

She watched the film with Dinesh master and the team. She admits having never dreamt that a day will come when people will clap on seeing her on-screen.

“We have been working in this industry for years. To date, no director has approached us with such an offer. Lokesh sir is a cut above the rest. And a brilliant director. He had told me in detail about my character. He would be with us while taking the shot. And his energy was infectious.”

The first shot was with Fahadh Fasil sir, and I was shivering. Even after 2-3 shots, it wasn’t getting right. But he helped me a lot. He made me comfortable by cracking jokes. He is a man of great humility.

I acted in 'Vikram' for 16 days. The action scenes were shot in three days. One has to appreciate the talent of Anpu Arivu masters. I wanted to make sure my role was noticed, and I worked hard for it.

Right from ‘Bhagavathi’ film, I know Vijay sir and he is a sweet guy. Nayanthara is also a friend. Keerthi Suresh is very fond of me. I had acted in ‘Ring Master.’ She has even come home. When she bought a new car, she first came to my house. She also took me out for lunch. That’s the kind of bond we share.

In ‘Chachi 420’ I have danced with Kamal Haasan sir. I have only seen him from a distance. And I was scared to approach him. It was Lokesh sir who introduced me to Kamal sir. And I will always be grateful to Lokesh sir for all that. Because usually actors are known to just act out the scene and leave while acting with Kamal Haasan sir. They don’t make small talk.