Sivakarthikeyan on drinking and stalking scenes on screen: ‘You won’t find them in my future films’

Actor Sivakarthikeyan’s meteoric rise to stardom in a very short span of time is the stuff of legends. Having started his career as a television anchor on a popular Tamil channel, he made his acting debut with 2012 film Marina, and went on to play second fiddle to heroes until his big break as a leading man with 2013 Tamil drama Ethir Neechal. Since then, there’s been no turning back for Siva, who is currently on a career high with six back-to-back blockbusters. He’s also one of the few actors to keep away from controversies; however, his 2016 film Remo, in which he played a female nurse, got dragged into the spotlight for “endorsing” stalking. [caption id=“attachment_4413125” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sivakarthikeyan. File Photo[/caption] At a recent college event, when asked about the drinking songs and stalking in his films, Siva said that his future projects would refrain from having such scenes. “As I evolve in my career, I believe it’s my duty to convey some message through my films. I did that via my last film Velaikkaran. I’m surprised people still talk about Remo, and I know I’ll be asked this question for another five years. But there won’t be any drinking scenes or teasing and chasing women in my future films. Most directors avoid such scenes when they’re writing for me.” Siva is currently busy wrapping up rural comedy Seemaraja, which marks his third time pairing up with director Ponram. From June, he will commence work on his upcoming as yet-untitled science-fiction film with director Ravi Kumar. In a previous chat with this writer, Siva said Ravi Kumar’s film will be the most ambitious project of his career. “The delay in commencement of the project is due to the exhaustive research work. I told Ravi that he can go work on another film and come back when I’m done with all my existing commitments. But he insisted that he will work on the pre-production and keep everything ready by the time I’m ready to join.” It was recently confirmed that AR Rahman will compose music for this project, which will also star Rakul Preet Singh. Sivakarthikeyan recently donned the producer’s hat for his close friend Arunraja Kamaraj’s directorial debut. On turning producer, he said in a statement: “The film industry has given me name and the fame. I owe a lot to the industry. I feel it is my responsibility to help my friends realise their dreams, the same friends who stood beside me through thick and thin, and we have always shared the same dream of achievements and glory. Arunraja Kamaraj is very talented and had shown glimpses of promise as a director right when he was a student. When he narrated this script to me I was able to connect as I also hail from a middle-class family. The dreams and ambitions of the protagonist is the fulcrum of the movie.” While Kaaka Muttai star Aishwarya plays the titular role in this Cricket-based drama, Baahubali actor Sathyaraj will be seen as her father. The film also features a youngster in a crucial role and the makers have zeroed in on a boy called Darshan.