He has reinvented the comedian's role, and has become the essential ingredient in Tamil commercial cinema.
Says Annamalai, a theatre owner and distributor in south Tamil Nadu, "A star film always ensures some opening but if Santhanam is in the film, it is a safe bet. The recent films which have done good business like Boss Engira Baskaran, Siruthai andVaanam have Santhanam in a pivotal role, a factor that helped the film to sail through."
A leading director who has worked with Santhanam says, "While other leading comedians Vadivelu and Vivekh insist on a separate comedy track, Santhanam mostly plays either the hero's nanban (friend) or his ethiri (foe), which makes him pivotal in the film's twist and turns. In short, you can say he is a parallel hero and our heroes, desperate for a hit, are piggyback riding on him."
The veterans in the industry say that Santhanam is following the style adapted by Goundamani, the top comedian of the 80s and the 90s. However, Santhanam believes that a comedian should adapt to the style of the actor with whom he shares screen space.
" Charlie Chaplin had once remarked that a comedian should be like liquid. So, I always modify my style a little to suit theirs. This flexibility is the reason why you will find me sharing a great chemistry with the heroes — be it Ajith (Kireedom), Simbu (Vaanam), Karthi (Siruthai), Arya (Boss Engira Baskaran), Jiiva (Siva Manusula Sakthi), or Shanthnoo (Kanden). Now, you will see me adapting to Vijay's (Velayudham) and Vikram's (Deivathirumagal) style," he explains.
A smiling Shanthnoo Bhagyaraj, whose Kanden hit screens last Friday, confesses, "In fact, more than the heroine Rashmi, my chemistry with Santhanam has worked out wonderfully in Kanden. His character hasn't been forced into the script just because he has a good fan following. He is there wherever he's required. Our comic timing was in perfect sync and we didn't even practice our lines."
Santhanam has also changed the way promos and photo shoots are done in Kollywood. For the 100th day poster shoot of Boss Engira Baskaran, heroine Nayanthara was not called; instead, the poster had the hero Arya with Santhanam! Similarly, the poster design of Siruthai had more of Santhanam than heroine Tamannaah!
Says a leading producer, "When he turned hero with Oru Kal Oru Kannadi, Udhayanidhi Stalin first blocked the dates of Santhanam, and director Rajesh shot their scenes together first. Today, heroes are piggyback riding on Santhanam!"
Meanwhile, Santhanam is shooting round-the-clock and doing a dozen films, with many a top hero waiting for his dates. Last week, Telugu superstar Allu Arjun flew down to Chennai to do combination scenes with Santhanam for his Telugu Badirinath, which is getting dubbed in Tamil and getting released simultaneously in June. Santhanam is definitely the new flavour of Kollywood.
