‘Awards are a morale booster for me’

The laurel sits lightly on Sree. He has won the State Government’s Best Actor Award for his performance in two serials – ‘Uravugal’ and ‘Sivasakti,’ — both telecast on Sun, but he doesn’t sound overtly thrilled! “Of course I’m happy,” he laughs. “It’s a morale booster for me and an inspiration for other actors, some of whom are really good.”

It has been raining awards on showbiz and the small screen, as the Government, which had stalled the process for six years, has announced it all in one go. “Generally as far as films go, only commercial hits make it to the awards circuit. But you cannot say that only hits are worthy of awards, right? As for serials, those in the prime time slots ( 7.30 -9.30 p.m.) alone were considered. The time of telecast decides the reach of a serial,” he reiterates. So Sree didn’t expect the recognition because both soaps were on air morning 11.30 and evening 10.30 – non-prime time slots! The small screen hero is particularly joyous about winning it for ‘Uravugal.’ “If cinema revolves round the hero, on television, the heroine reigns supreme. But ‘Uravugal’ was hero-centric and yet it was received well. Incidentally, many channels including Sun, Jaya and Zee have had winners this time — a healthy trend!”

But doesn’t success also depend on the channel in which it is telecast? “Not so much now, because every channel seems to be giving stiff competition to the other. I didn’t expect the tremendous response that my serial on Zee, ‘Thalaiyanai Pookal,’ is garnering.”

Entry into cinemaSree puts matters of the box in perspective. “Overdoing a little by way of performance is expected in serials. Yet I try to be spontaneous and subdued. And I never subscribe to the argument that both mediums are the same. The big screen is undoubtedly bigger and tells you a story in two hours. But the same takes two years here.”He began with a negative role in ‘Ahalya,’ when his attempts at making it big in cinema proved a fiasco. But why launch himself as an anti on TV? “Beggars can’t be choosers,” he smiles.Isn’t his present position a silver lining? He is choosy about roles and has begun gaining a toehold in cinema. Recently we saw him in the Gautam Karthik film, ‘Rangoon,’ and his next should be ‘R.K. Nagar.’“Yeah, you’re right. TV has taught me everything, and unlike earlier, with television actors finding it easier to enter films, the going is better,” he laughs. For long, none knew that he’s Ganesh’s [of the composing duo Shankar-Ganesh] son. “I’ve never used his name to promote myself. My folks rarely watch serials. Naturally I can’t expect encomiums at home. Of course, dad and wife Shamita (heroine of Cheran’s ‘Paandavar Bhoomi’) are happy for me, but my friends and audiences shower praise. Isn’t that more important?”