Destiny does have its own way. Why else would an aspiring director wake up one fine morning to find his name slotted as the lead in G.J. Films’ Chellamey. When wannabe heroes cool their heels at the doors of various production houses, luck came knocking at the doorstep of Vishal, the new heartthrob of Tamil cinema. His performance in Chellamey has been getting him rare reviews and now he is considered to be one of the promising stars of Tamil cinema.

Nevertheless, a lot of hard work, commitment and dedication sure seems to have been his pursuit in scaling the peak of success. But how did this youngster manage to pull this off to become the latest sensation in Kollywood amidst stiff competition from the current breed of heroes younger and older than him?

A strong passion for direction got him an apprenticeship with Ram Gopal Varma just after he completed Visual Communication at Loyola College. But for his parent’s desire to have him closer to home, he cancelled his flight ticket to Mumbai and headed to the decks of actor-director Arjun’s production house. The director’s acumen for spotting budding talent assessed the actor in Vishal and suggested to give a shot before the camera. But Arjun’s allusion was not shared by the latter as his eyes were set on ‘direction’ only. Vishal’s tenure as assistant to Arjun for Vedham exposed him not only to the nuances of direction but also aspects for excellence in the performing branch. A chance encounter with G.J. team had his providence rewritten on a different path, and the inevitable had to happen. Their offer to cast him as the protagonist in their venture Chellamey was accepted by Vishal after a careful consideration. With his zeal and sincerity, he did not land directly on the sets, rather took up a three-month acting lessons from a Koothupatrai troupe. Says he, “I’ve not done any acting in school or college, hence I wanted to be trained in the basics of acting.” His enthusiasm to become a perfect hero took him also to become skilled in dance and action after training with choreographer Jayanti and stuntman Kanal Kannan. Being a big fan of actor Prakash Raj, he used to draw insights by watching him emoting. Chellamey is running to packed audiences and he attributes the success to the crisp screenplay apart from the mind-blowing music of Harris Jairaj. Vishal says director Gandhi Krishna was his motivating force and co-artistes Reema Sen and Vivek provided the necessary support. His stint with the Koothupatrai troupe helped him shed his consciousness, bashfulness and apprehension before the camera thereby creating an image of a seasoned artiste. Seldom can one spot a scene where the rawness or amateurism of a new face prevailing in the film.

Acting with Reema Sen in his first film had made him slightly uneasy as she was an experienced star. “I didn’t know what to expect and it was on the fourth day that my scenes were with her. But Reema was very comfortable to work with. Now she’s good friend,” says Vishal whose dream is to act with Sridevi. The film being fast paced, slick and emotional, were his scenes difficult to perform? He admits the scene with Girish Karnad in the final stages was a challenging one. “The scene required me to strangle Girish Karnad. As an actor, I found it difficult to relate to such a thing. I also took two days to shoot it. But the effort was worth it as the film has shaped up really well.” He relishes the song ‘Sonali ...’shot at Andamans, for which he worked hard, day and night. Lyricist Vairamuthu had been the first to compliment him. “Vairamuthu felt that I performed like a seasoned hero and not like a newcomer. That’s encouragement enough for a debutant like me!” quips the star. It would be a surprise for many to know that Vishal Krishna’s family is no stranger to the film industry. He’s second in the family to foray into the acting arena, his brother Ajay already having do two films while other sibling Akash is looking after his father’s granite business. His father GK Reddy was one of the veteran producers of Tamil films, having made quite a few films with top actors like Sivaji Ganesan, though of late, they’ve taken a respite from production. With a home team to back his stardom, why did he take up an outside banner to launch his career? Vishal says, “My father has not been into production for quite some time. Again, I would have taken it easy if it was my home production. I just took up the offer when it came to me. Maybe, in future, I’ll act in my home production.”

His family has been very supportive of his venture, his brother throwing a lot of light to hone his skills. “I’ve always been close to my brother and have taken his advice. He was lucky to act with Sivaji Ganesan. He said I should discard fear and be confident before the camera.” His father is extremely happy to see a self-confident son with his very first film. But what has happened to his directorial ambitions? Considering the boon in his current phase of life, he wants to concentrate on performing, what with offers flooding his gate and his love for acting taking a crescendo. All set to take up the challenges on big screen, the actor will definitely call the shots sometime soon, but right now he wants to channel his enthusiasm and energy to acting alone. Right now he is waiting to start shooting for the next project with G.J.Cinema.

Vishal, finally, adds that the support of the whole team, like Harris Jairaj for the music, KV Anand’s cinematography and all the other technicians who worked, as a family and not treating him as a newcomer, are responsible for the way the film has shaped up. A very promising hero with a distinct style, identity and naturism who definitely is here to set new standards in films and hearts flutter as well.