Don’t draw me into politics

Arjun Sarja, who made his debut in a Kannada film but went on to storm the Tamil industry, believes in playing the diplomat

Don't draw me into politics

Arjun Sarja, who made his debut in a Kannada film but went on to storm the Tamil industry, believes in playing the diplomat

He's Arjun, the action hero, to fans of his Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, while folks here remember him fondly as Arjun Sarja, the fresh-faced, down-to-earth actor who made his debut as hero in the Kannada film, Aasha, when he was 17 years old with Baby Indira and Ambarish.

Catching up with friends, fans and journalists at the Press Club on Sunday, Arjun was relaxed as he faced a rapid fire round from his audience.

My father Shakti Prasad, character artiste and PE instructor at Fort High School, Chamarajpet wanted me to become a police officer while I was keen on joining the army. I remembering bringing home an application (for the armed forces), which my mom refused to sign. As a kid, I was very interested in karate.

Director Rajendra Singh Babu saw me practicing karate at YMCA and offered me a role in Simhada Mari Sainya. After that, there was no looking back, as the cliche goes.

On rewriting history

I am doing a Kannada film called Sangolli Rayanna, this year. This is based on the life and times of a folk hero. The beautiful Jayaprada plays Kittur Rani Chennamma.u00a0Shooting is scheduled to commence in August.

On turning producer

I have produced films like Sevagan. I am toying with the idea of producing a film in Hindi. I will play the hero. When it comes to my productions, I think big. I think on the Gladiator scale. Acting has given me recognition.

At my peak, I worked seven shifts a day. I am touched by the fact that in villages across the south, people recognise me and invite me to their houses for a meal. I had visited a modest hotel in Madras late one night. A man ran up to me and grabbed my feet. He told me that he had been on the verge of committing suicide but a scene from one of my films, Saadhu (Tamil), where I face and overcome a similar dilemma inspired him to live. It is incidents like these that show what enormous influence actors have on the masses.

On dad's discipline

As a kid, I remember watching a Rajkumar film and announcing, 'Rajkumar channagi madidha' (Rajkumar has acted well, where I referred to the legend in the singular). My father gave me a stinging slap! He warned me never to talk about my seniors or elders in the singular. That's a lesson that has stayed with me for life.

On his future plans

I do not believe in setting goals for myself. I believe in exploring everything that comes my way be it acting, production, direction or distribution.

On the Cauvery issue

Water and power sharing are political issues. Artistes should not be drawn into politics.

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