Actor Dushara Vijayan was shooting for some BTS photoshoots ahead of her upcoming film Vettaiyan. It was a no-brainer to quickly decipher she is a Thalaivar Rajinikanth fan when Hunter Vantaar was playing in the background. It was October 2, 2023, when Dushara was first announced as part of Vettaiyan’s star-studded cast of the film. And coming October 10, the film will see its release in theatres. The year has been the year of Dushara, who after proving her prowess as an actor in Raayan, will be soon seen in Vettaiyan.

With the hustle of promotions from city to city and travel, Dushara says, “My heart is full of joy. This is indeed my Padayappa moment. Or more so, I am at peace.”

Dushara Vijayan Interview for Vettaiyan

This year, for Dushara, who celebrates her birthday on October 14, says Vettaiyan is a gift to herself. “I am taking this gift to the grave. It is a moment I will cherish every day and something that I have never thought of. I had a dream of becoming an actor and manifested so many things in life, but I never thought of acting with Thalaivar. It is definitely something a dream that became a reality,” says Dushara whose voice is a mixture of both calmness and excitement.

Dushara borrows the famous phrase “change is the only constant” when asked if life has changed for her in this last one year. “We evolve to be different people over the years with time as we learn new things. I think I keep changing for good every day and of course, the little kid in me is very happy for what I am now,” says the actor.

She says the hunger in her to act will never satiate, and when and if that happens, Dushara will be done with films. “I constantly keep feeding myself with a good role.” And what is a good role for you? “Whatever I am doing right now. The roles that come to me, and more than good and bad, the roles keep me happy and could connect with those roles.”

Introducing Saranya from Vettaiyan, Dushara says, “She is one of the most important characters I have done so far in my career. She will be talked about after Durga from Raayan. Director TJ Gnanavel said that Saranya was written with me in mind. After watching the film, he said that he had faith in me with this role, but I made it a fact. Saranya is a strong, and one person who addresses what has to be done.”

“I did not come this far to just come this far”

Being passionate about what she loves the most is Dushara's middle name, even if it comes at the cost of making daring decisions. The actor plans on quitting cinema at 35, to pursue her love for travel and fashion vlogging. “I am still having the same thoughts, and I am equally passionate about fashion and travel. I knew I wanted to become an actor and eventually became one. But I did not come this far to just come this far. There is more to life and I want to explore. I might come back in my 40s doing different types of roles,” Dushara says as she reiterates, that she wants to be a performer, and not as a mere tool in a film.

Be it Maariyamma (Sarpetta Parambarai), Subbu (Aneethi), Rene (Natchathiram Nagargiradhu), Durga (Raayan), or Saranya (Vettaiyan), the actor believes that every role will have some amounts of Dushara in them. “Since I could see myself, I thought I could do it. I have been getting some women-centric films, and I feel that is a huge responsibility and I am not there yet.”

But how about Rene in Natchathiram Nagargiradhu? “Of course, but you need to be in sync with the person directing the film. It has something to do with me, and I need someone who can motivate me constantly. It is not that there aren’t people, but I am still learning and there are more senior actresses who can perform these. I am not there yet but I will get there one day.”

With Vettaiyan which already boasts known names, from Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, to Fahadh Faasil and Manju Warrier, asked if she sees the weightage of her role against the stardust a big film like Vettaiyan brings, Dushara says, “It goes both hand in hand but it is predominantly about my character and what I get to do in the film. Even if I come for five minutes, my role should create an impact. And when it comes to thalaivar padam, it is a self-promotion by itself. When two best things happened, Vettaiyan happened.”

As she says how much of an excited person she is in general, Dushara also learned to be calm and composed at times when her heart is screaming in joy. “I try to be calm and stay grounded. That is what is making me a better person every day. My mother always says one should never forget their roots, and the day I don’t abide by that, I am done in the industry,” Dushara says.

‘I am a huge admirer of Dhanush sir, love Rajini sir for his energy levels’

Dushara, who recently played Dhanush’s sister in the latter’s film Raayan, admits how she has learned a lot from the actor-director. “The kind of punctuality he has and he has taught me so many things, including the way you need to stand for some shots. Coming to Rajini sir, I don’t have the age to talk about him, but the humility, aura, and energy he has. There can be only one superstar,” Dushara says as she goes on to say how Rajinikanth’s energy levels are unmatched.

“He loves cinema, to act, and keeps inspiring so many people. He reached this place the hard way. I will always say my go-to motivational song is Vetri Kodi Kattu. This is my Padayappa moment, because that song is my life. It is very personal.”

When it comes to her dos and don’ts onscreen, Dushara is sure that she does not appear or do anything that comes across as vulgar. “I can be glamourous, but I will not do something that will make my family scorn their faces,” she adds.

Dushara admits that all her roles so far have strong characteristics, but also wants to explore ones that will dabble on vulnerable, easy, and fragile parts as well. “I have not gotten such roles, but would love to take up some. Because every woman will go through something, strong and weak, where she will break down, and feel romantic and soft-hearted. I want to do all of those. Why always the strong person? I want to be an innocent girl, but I don’t want to be a tool."

Wrapping up the conversation, Dushara talks about working in Veera Dheera Sooran with Vikram. “All of us are fond of him and so nice to have people who support and lift you up. Arun sir, who has given us good films, Theni Eswar sir, the team is just brilliant. At one point, you forget that you are acting in a film. Vikram sir is a spontaneous performer and has mad energy,” Dushara signs off.

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