Praising her co-star Nimisha Sajayan for increasing the emotional quotient in their performances, Atharvaa says, “Nimisha is the kind of artist who understands her character without requiring much of a prompt or spoon-feeding. She improvises in the shot. Usually, we brainstorm with the director and bounce ideas to make a scene better. What Nimisha does is she naturally improvises, be it with the lines or in emotions. The catching up that I had to do with her has improved me as an actor. For instance, in a scene where a shot had to be sustained for some 10-15 seconds, it was sustained for close to 40-50 seconds. In these spaces where we go beyond what is written on the paper, we bring rootedness and relatability. And the film is rife with such moments.” Expanding on his previous point, Atharvaa says while there is scope for improvisation, it comes with riders recalling how talented a writer Nelson is. “We have all the freedom to improve our performances provided we stick to the ‘meter’ he has set for us. Nelson has a mental meter as he keenly observes the both of us. As long as I stick to Anand and Nimisha sticks to Divya, he is fine with improvisation. If we even minutely step away from our characters, he politely urges to can go with what is on the paper. That is his way of saying, ‘This particular thing sucks,'” he laughs.
Clocking 15 years in the industry, Atharvaa is at a crucial juncture to ensconce his position as a ‘solo hero’. However, he views growth differently, and the focus was and will always be on the kind of characters he does. “Yes, people do discourage me from doing multistarrers. But, be it Parasakthi or even a film where I am the sole protagonist, I want it to be complementary. I should have something substantial to contribute to the film and the film should throw something interesting to me. Parasakthi is one such film. The film has tonnes of surprises for the audiences. I look at the bigger picture. The primary question I ask is how and what will the film be like rather than who has more screen time,” says Atharvaa, who also expresses happiness that he returns to a film in a period setting for the first time after Paradesi (2013). “While DNA excited me with a character that has come closer to my true self, Parasakthi‘s kick lies in completely being removed from his nature, lifestyle and milieu,” he adds.
Atharvaa says that DNA will have the so-called commercial stuff, such as action and love; he says Nelson made him a promise that he would stick to his storytelling strengths. “There are fights and romance in the film, but he made a promise to me that he will keep the film as grounded as possible. More than the issues that the film deals with, the underlying human emotions are explored satisfactorily. This makes for an interesting watch, while also staying relevant,” he signs off.
