Musician-turned-actor Teejay Arunasalam has his hands full at the moment. But he is not complaining. The Asuran actor, who is currently filming Pathu Thala opposite Silambarasan TR, Gautham Karthik and Priya Bhavani Shankar, is also part of Balaji Mohan’s next and Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan. The actor, who is also working on Muttu Mu2, a music video in collaboration with Sivaangi, Pugazh and Yogi B, is raring to go now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased in the industry. Everything is going in the right path, the actor adds, as we caught up with him for an interview.
The last time we spoke to you, you were still in London during the thick of the pandemic. How do you feel now that you’re back to Chennai and filming?

I feel much relaxed now because when I was in London, the stress and pressure was high because of the lockdown. During the lockdown itself I missed a couple of projects, especially with my director Vetri Maaran sir. I feel much safer today to come back to where I am supposed to be. Now everything is going in the right path.

Can you tell us about your role in Pathu Thala?
I play a gangster in the film. He does some nakkal nayyandi, but he is an angry guy. Filmmaker Krishna sir approached me about the film in December 2020. He told me that the film was a multi-starrer with Silambarasan, Gautham Karthik and Gautham Menon sir. The film is a remake of the Kannada film Mufti, but we did do a lot of improvisations to not just my role, but the script as well. It is exciting to work on the film. We have completed three schedules and we are waiting for the final schedule.
Do tell us about meeting Mani Ratnam and being part of Ponniyin Selvan…

Shortly after Asuran, I met Mani sir in October 2019. I was initially offered screen space in the film. But due to certain situations in the scenes, I could not do it. So, I asked his team if there was another character, and they also understood where I was coming from. And a couple of months later they contacted me again for another role. Mani sir is such an adorable and straightforward person. He took his time and made me comfortable with everything. All I can say is, I am looking forward to working with sir. He has given me a good role and I am very happy. I will never forget the chat I had with him. I have been doing a lot of homework for this particular role. It was surprising and overwhelming for me that a director as legendary as him kept me in mind for the role.

How have your film choices changed during the course of the pandemic?

I watched a lot of series during the pandemic like many others, and these shows make one think like a director in terms of genres and characterisation. Vetri Maaran sir has been a part of my journey throughout, and my conversations with him have really helped me. This one year was a good time for me to decide and take my time to pick scripts correctly. I am just looking forward to all of you watching me play the right roles.

Do tell us about your equation with Vetri Maaran…
I look at him as a professor and I am still learning a lot of things from him. Off screen, I have spent a lot of time with him and his family. They treat me like a family member which is so sweet of them, especially because I got to Chennai from London with only a small circle of friends in place. I really appreciate this and will always be thankful to him.

Tell us about a role or genre that you would like to explore…
All of the films that I am currently doing have an element of action, which was also there in Asuran. I have done romance in music videos and I am doing another romcom music project currently, which is Muttu Mu2. Only when I observe the look changes between these two genres, it gets me thinking. So, I would like to do a full-fledged romantic role, like in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. I would also like to take my independent music career seriously and keep multitasking along with my acting projects.

You declined to be part of the Muralidharan biopic due to its politics. How do you handle creative differences as a young actor?
It is a lot of pressure, but with the kind of support I have around me, I do try to make the right decisions. As an individual, no matter how young you are, it all depends on your decision. At the end of the day, I am new to the acting career. If I want to take this seriously, I have to make serious decisions. At the same time, I am ready to experiment and I’m happy with my decisions.