'Acting is my profession, social service is my passion': Vijay Vishwa

Vijay Vishwa began his career as Abi Saravanan and has over twenty films behind him since his 2014 lead debut in Kerala Nattilam Pengaludane. With Paris Cafe he is calling his shot: a comeback, a first romantic lead, and a campaign for small films he is happy to wage in public. Excerpts from the conversation:

What is the occasion for this interaction?

I have worked on a very good film called Paris Cafe, and I firmly believe it will give me a strong comeback. I also have not had many chances recently to sit with the media in person, so I wanted to share my updates directly.

Tell us about Paris Cafe and your role.

For the first time in my career, I am playing a romantic lover-boy lead. I play an NRI groom visiting from America, an IT professional who researches rare palm-leaf manuscripts. He falls for Guru Somasundaram’s daughter, follows her into an ashram, and ends up uncovering truths hidden within her family.

Why the English title?

A crucial incident happens at a place called Paris Cafe, and it triggers the key twists. A Tamil title would have earned tax concessions, but this one suited the script and sounded stylish.

What happened to your completed films like Brahma Muhurtham?

Brahma Muhurtham and Paraparappu have been finished for two years, but small producers cannot secure screens. I have submitted an appeal to the Chief Minister with two ideas: a government-run OTT platform that acquires small-budget films so producers recover their costs, and a scheme I call Vetri Thirai, where the government facilitates theatre access for small films at subsidised ticket prices. Small filmmakers do not expect windfalls. They want to recover their investment and tell meaningful stories.

Why raise these issues at the film’s launch?

I have not had a film release or a platform to speak from in a very long time. What I said came from genuine anguish about what small films go through.

Are you holding out for lead roles?

I came into this industry to act, and I am ready to perform in any medium. As the industry moved to digital and prominent families began casting their own relatives, opportunities for actors working for modest pay became limited. So I have done two vertical web series, and television fiction is on the table too.

Your social work and even your name change have been read as a political launch. Is it one?

No. Veteran director S.A. Chandrasekhar gave me the name Vijay Vishwa for a film, so it has no connection to politics. To speak openly, I have voted NOTA so far, because I always wished for positive change. I have no interest in party politics. People welcome me like a son of their own home as an actor and social worker. I do not know if I would receive that same affection as a politician.

What does the social work actually involve?

Through VV Entertainments we have held eighteen events around women’s safety and anti-drug awareness. The Say No to Drugs campaign has reached ten thousand students, and over sixteen thousand young women have been through our self-defence training. There is also the Mom and Me Floor Walk, where we honour the mothers and grandmothers of top students on stage, since many grandmothers never got to study themselves. We cleaned the Vaigai in Madurai and are planning work at Marina Beach. None of this is an NGO or government machinery. Actor and social activist are my only two identities.

Someone questioned whether you are qualified to speak on public issues.

I will place my record with humility. I protested on the ground for seven days during Jallikattu and faced lathi charges. I lived on Delhi’s streets for twenty days with the farmers. I stood with fisherman Britto’s family in Rameswaram, joined the Cauvery protests alongside Bharathiraja and Vetrimaaran, and when NEET first came, I sponsored and escorted six poor students to their exam centres in Rajasthan.

You were honoured abroad recently?

Yes. The Washington Regional Tamil Association honoured me in Washington, D.C., I was felicitated in Delaware, and I spent Independence Day in Malaysia alongside the Indian High Commissioner.

Any plans of marrying again?

No, I have not turned my attention in that direction at all. My focus is entirely on acting and our welfare initiatives.

What comes next?

Brahma Muhurtham is waiting for the right window, the two vertical series are ready, and in December I begin shooting two films I have conceptualised, planned overseas with international actors. Acting is my profession and social service is my passion. I want to pursue both equally.