Exclusive Interview With Dhanush For Film 'The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir'

Posted On: 20 June 2019

Dhanush is shooting and gearing up for releases back to back. The actor will be making his Hollywood debut with The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir, which is set to release on June 21. Dhanush is also shooting for Asuran and it is one film that is very close to his heart. The actor is quite excited for both his films. He will be shooting for films back to back this year with Asuran wrapping up and the shoot for Vada Chennai 2 beginning. In an exclusive interview, Dhanush talks about his upcoming Hollywood film, working with Rajinikanth, actors getting trolled on social media and much more. When asked if he would ever work with Thalaiva and what kind of a script would work for him, he said, “Of course! It is every actor’s dream. Even if I’m just standing behind him in a scene, it’s fine.” Dhanush also revealed that even though language was one of the only barriers, he enjoyed working for the film. The actor said, “[The challenge was] to be confident enough to be comfortable enough and confident enough to act in a language you are not fluent in. That was it. Once that confident kicked in, I was comfortable.” Dhanush has been in the industry for nearly 17 years and though he has an extremely successful career with a huge fan following, the actor says he would not be able to survive if he starts taking it for granted. Dhanush, who has headlined several blockbusters in South and made a successful Bollywood debut with Raanjhanaa, says an actor is always striving to give what the audience wants. “You’ll get kicked in your face. You cannot afford to snooze, not even a bit. You have to be updated, on your toes, always thinking what to do, what people want. “That’s the million dollar question: what people want from your films and you. If only you can master that , things would be easier and simpler,” Dhanush said in a group interview. The 35-year-old actor believes as an artiste it is important to work hard as there are many talented people who can replace the one who is lazy. “It’s very difficult to understand how people want different things at different times and you have to work really hard on yourself, your films. You cannot afford to be lazy. There are always so many better talents out there to replace you.” Contrary to common perception, Dhanush says, even a star cannot get away with a bad film and has to constantly adapt to the changing times. “I don’t think stars ever got away with a bad film. A star can give you an opening but that’s it. If your film isn’t good then. A star is as good as the film, as the script. Content has always been the king. “The taste has changed, perception of quality has changed but that doesn’t mean they ever accepted a film just because it has a big star,” he adds. The actor is currently gearing up for the release of his first international project The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir. The adventure film is directed by Ken Scott and is based on Romain Puertolas’ novel The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe. Dhanush said he took the film as an opportunity to get out of his comfort zone. “I was looking forward to learn and unlearn, understand how things work there. I took this as a great opportunity to explore more. I am not very fluent with the language, that was the only tiny block I had in mind. Other than that, there was no pressure.” There has always been an interest with regards to when will the actor return to Bollywood — his last project was Shamitabh (2015)-- and Dhanush says he has finalised something. “It wasn’t that I took a break (from Bollywood). I take it as it comes. When I find a good script, I don’t see which language it is in. So it’s not as if I’ve never found any good script here. “Probably I wasn’t lucky enough, it went to a better actor, other actors... So many things have to fall in place. But I can tell you confidently I’m doing something very soon.” The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir is slated to be released on June 21.