Actor Bharath: Fear of being unable to sustain in the film industry keeps me going

Actor Bharath, gearing up for the release of ‘Miral’, speaks about balancing streaming projects and theatre releases and the kind of scripts he wishes to do

Fear. Fear of being unable to sustain in the film industry. This is what pushes actor Bharath out of bed and to work every day.

“I have to do it on my own. There won’t be anyone else to pull me up.” Bharath, who has now been in the industry for over two decades, worries that this shouldn’t come across as a call for sympathy. “I understand that this is where I stand in cinema. I have found some success, and now I have to sustain.”

Bharath has pinned a lot of hope on Miral, the upcoming horror-thriller co-starring Vani Bhojan. “This project is close to my heart,,” he says. But he is more excited because this will be his first theatrical release in the language post pandemic. “Releasing a film in theatres is the biggest happiness any actor can get. No matter what has changed post-pandemic, watching a film on the big screen is irreplaceable, for both the actor and the audience,” he says. Excerpts from an interview:

Considering ‘Miral’ director M Sakthivel is a debutant, there must have been something that pulled you into this project. What is that?

Firstly, it has a strong story. As a storyline, it might be simple — it is about a man who fights to protect his family after an unexpected incident — but it is told through a strong screenplay. On top of this emotional core, elements of horror and thriller were added to make it more gripping. I don’t know if you can call the film a horror.

Also, though Sakthivel has no prior experience in directing, except for a few short films, I was impressed by his confidence and the understanding he has of the craft.

You sound hesitant about calling it a horror film...