Essaying character roles lets him learn more: Ashwin Kakumanu

He may have had a small role in his debut film Nadunisi Naaygal, but luck seems to have favoured actor Ashwin Kakumanu, as the actor is now working on two plum projects. Ashwin is currently shuffling between A R Murugadoss’s 7am Arivu and Venkat Prabhu’s Mankatha, both films boosting his career graph. Ashwin says he had always aspired to become an actor and was clued into the business of film-making by making short films and documentaries. “After doing a couple of commercials, I tried my luck in films. I auditioned for a small role in Varanam Aayiram, but I didn’t get through. But I was glad to receive a call from director Gautham Menon to do a role in Nadunisi...,” reminisces Ashwin, who essayed actor Sameera Reddy’s love interest in the film. So, how did he land a role in the two new films? “After the release of Nadunisi…, I got a call from Murugadoss’s office to essay a character role in the film. Though I can’t divulge much on it, all I can say is that I am featured throughout the second half of the film,” offers Ashwin.

The young actor is also happy to be a part of Venkat Prabhu’s Mankatha and says that Venkat’s films, “are always fun to watch and that’s how they are to work with as well. I play a cop in the film and it was a great honour to share the screen space with Ajith.”

So, how was it to work with stalwarts of the industry like Suriya and Ajith? He says, “It was a great learning experience for me to work with them at the start of my career. Suriya is rather quiet on the sets while Ajith is pretty jovial. Nevertheless, both of them are perfectionists.” On why he chose a multi-starrer, over a solo film at the start of his career, Ashwin explains, “Character roles give room for learning. For instance, in these two films, I got to learn the nuances of acting. Sometimes, it’s better to be observant in order to improve. Great actors like Rajinikanth, Vikram started their careers by playing character roles. I have no complaints and am open to all kind of roles,” he signs off.