Actor Kavin on ‘DaDa’ and the road to success

In today’s world, it takes more than 24 art forms for a film to win. In the post-streaming era, theatrical success depends a lot on who is selling the product and how they are selling it. So, two things have visibly become more challenging: getting a theatrical release and pulling the crowd to the cinema halls. “For a three-film-actor like myself, it gets even more challenging and it’s vital that the content is top-notch,” says actor Kavin, whose recent release DaDa has been getting some raving reviews from all over.

It’s safe to say that Kavin has big dreams of becoming a star, and shows a lot of promise as well. And for where he is in his career, consistently good results on the big screen are vital to sustaining in a volatile field such as this. As his previous film, Lift, was released on OTT due to the pandemic, Kavin pinned a lot of hope on DaDa. But what’s more pivotal in getting a theatrical release is getting a ‘good theatre release’. “From getting the right number of screens, a well-planned release date, to promotions…a lot goes into it,” he says. This is where Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies came in to make things easier. “I wasn’t too sure if they would release the film as they usually deal with films of a bigger scale. But I was hopeful because they have distributed films like Mynaa, which were small films but good in content.”

Hence, only when all these factors come together, and “when the content resonates with the audience, will we get such good results,” he adds. And content is clearly a big selling point for DaDa. Ganesh K Babu’s film has Kavin playing a young man who is forced to pull up his sleeves and become a single father when his partner, played by Aparna Das, abandons him and their newborn. In this conversation after the release of the film, Kavin speaks about the many moments from the film, how he handles success and more. Excerpts:

Even though you were upping your game since ‘Saravanan Meenakshi’ times, your fandom grew exponentially after ‘Bigg Boss’. Was it overwhelming?

No, I’ve always looked at social media as a fantasy. We might never understand what’s real or fake there; ground reality is different. Many things have to come together for the success of a film; fandom alone cannot help.

Did you realise during the narration of ‘Dada’ that this script had scope for performances?

I’ve known director Ganesh for a long time and he told me this story even before I went to Bigg Boss. I strongly believe that screenwriting and pre-production are pivotal in this business. Only if the content on paper is strong can the actors further elevate it. So we worked on this script a lot. It was detailed. I noted down some moments that might require a specific reaction and I suggested some changes as well.

Actor Kavin
| Photo Credit:
Johan Sathyadas

Can you give us an example of something that changed during the script reading?

Manikandan, my character, tells us right at the beginning that he has never cried in his life despite trying his best. In the first draft, he cries only at the climax, as one can expect. For some reason, I thought that he should break down at the scene where he goes to the orphanage. He’s a bit of a brat who hasn’t listened to advice from people around him, and he won’t listen to new people as well. But when the issue concerns his own child, he gets emotional. I suggested that I cry here as well as in the climax.

I even asked to change a few things when I realised that Mani had to come across as a bit unlikeable in the first half. Like, when he tells her ‘I did tell you to abort this baby,’ I suggested that I refer to the baby as ‘ karumam’ (ugly/ unbearable sight) because, to him, the baby is the root cause of all his problems. I was a bit hesitant about it because I was worried about how the audience will accept that but at the end of the day, the character demands that. And I know that this character will become redeemable; after all, it’s human to make mistakes, right? It’s about whether he realises and rectifies.

Even during the comedy scenes, you carried the emotional heft of the character. Like that scene with Pradeep at the coffee table in which you have to express how much Mani misses Sindhu, and in the very next shot, you are expected to react to Pradeep’s comedy lines…

For this, I took inspiration from director Nelson’s film Doctor, in which I worked as an AD. In many scenes featuring Yogi Babu, like the one on the ferry, he would have just reacted to the events transpiring. Sometimes, reactions work better than dialogues. For the talent that Yogi Babu has, he could give a good-counter dialogue on spot. But he is aware of the mental state that his character should be in at that point, and he chooses to just react.

Similarly, that coffee table scene is about an irritating character who is unaware of the ordeal we are facing. So, expressions would work better here. In fact, when Mani asks his brother, “How did they agree to get their daughter married to you?”, his brother takes a dig at Mani’s personal life. We had a reply for that, but we removed it because what his brother said was already hilarious.

Kavin in a still from the scene at the coffee table
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Aparna Das’s performance was brilliant. In a film like ‘DaDa,’ where two actors are supposed to hold the film from start to finish, how important is the performance of the actor opposite you?

A lot of people are speaking about our performances in the climax but as you said, how the other actor reacts is important. If they weren’t on point there, our performance would get affected as well. Despite all the rehearsals and preps, the performance should come out naturally and feel real. Aparna did an extraordinary job at making us feel for Sindhu. We were also happy that dubbed her lines.

Aparna Das in a still from ‘DaDa’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

W hich actors inspired you while growing up?

Everyone. I mean, before doing Lift, I had two months to prep and I watched Pizza and Trapped. These references help. To taste success, we need to be aware of what some great actors have done before us.

For DaDa, I was thinking of how Vijay and Ajith Kumar performed in Thulladha Manamum Thullum and Mugavaree, respectively. These are two favourite films of theirs from their early career. In Mugavaree, it was about how Ajith conveyed the perseverance of an artist through all obstacles. In Thulladha Manamum Thullum, it was about how Vijay performed in that scene where he hides himself and cries. I kept all this in my mind, and they all helped.

You’ve worked as an assistant director. So, do you plan on getting into filmmaking?

No. When I worked for Nelson, I would sit for the dialogues and give my input. But ultimately, it was a learning experience for me. When the release of my first film was delayed, I didn’t know what to do and so I went to Nelson anna. It was only for my survival, and I learnt more than I contributed. My journey is as an actor; working as an AD was just a means to an end.

How do you handle success? Do you take some time off before signing your next?

I had a duty to do, and once it is done, I have to move on to the next. We are like a delivery agent; once one order is delivered, we have to work on the next one. For the next film, I will begin from scratch and treat it like it’s my first.

Are you now shooting for your next, or are you listening to scripts…?

Pre-production work on my next is going on. All I care about now is making a good film that reaches every section of the audience. I also ensure that it is a socially responsible subject.