For greater than three a long time, Milind Soman has occupied a curious place in India’s cultural creativeness — first because the mannequin who outlined an period of promoting within the Nineties, later as an athlete and image of endurance operating and health, after which as an actor shifting between languages and industries, on screens huge and small.
At 60, Milind continues to maneuver simply between these worlds. His newest challenge brings him again to the Tamil movie business after a niche of 4 years with Muthu Engira Kaattaan, a gritty folk-noir crime collection created by M Manikandan and starring Vijay Sethupathi.
For the actor, the choice to tackle the function got here right down to the basics of storytelling. “If the project is interesting, the role is interesting, I like the people, then I do it. I’ve worked in many languages — Japanese, English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Arabic. So, the language is not important in cinema. It’s the storytelling. The story is the number one thing,” he says in a telephonic interview with The Hindu forward of the discharge of Kaattaan.
In the collection, Milind performs Sivettan, an influential determine whose relationship with Muthu (Vijay Sethupathi), types one of many emotional anchors of the story. The bond between the 2 characters, he says, was one of many facets that stood out to him whereas studying the script. “The relationship between my character Sivettan and Vijay Sethupathi’s character Muthu is very interesting. It’s a beautiful, warm, affectionate relationship of a mentor and mentee. Almost like a father-son kind of relationship,” he says.
The challenge additionally marked Milind’s first collaboration with filmmaker M Manikandan, recognized for his grounded storytelling and robust writing in movies like Kadaisi Vivasayi, Kaaka Muttaiand extra. For the actor, the director’s readability on set made the method clean. “He’s very clear about what he wants. I think that’s the mark of any good director; when he’s able to explain exactly what he wants. At the same time, good directors also allow the actors to improvise and suggest. Then it becomes a collaborative effort,” says Milind.
He provides that working alongside Sethupathi, who additionally serves because the producer of the collection, was equally snug. “He’s very easy to work with, and makes sure that everyone is having a good time. There’s no stress on the set,” he says. While language variations can generally create small hurdles, Milind says he by no means felt misplaced on set. “He’s (Vijay Sethupathi) obviously very comfortable in Tamil, it’s his first language. It’s not my first language, but I never felt that we have to compromise on something because of that,” he says.
Speak to him about health, and Milind is fast to dismiss the concept it requires something extraordinary. “I don’t have any coach or trainer or dietitian or nutritionist. I don’t go to the gym, I have no routine, no regime. I have an understanding which has developed over the decades of what I absolutely need to do. Every day I do that, maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes, but not more than that,” he says.
For those that wish to start later in life however really feel intimidated, his recommendation is simple: begin small. “If you’re intimidated, then start very, very small. If one day you want to just do one push-up, do it. And if you feel comfortable, do two. Slowly and gradually you improve.”
Consistency, he believes, can take individuals additional than they think about. “Eventually, if you’re consistent, you can run a marathon,” Milind says. For somebody whose pop-culture journey famously started by coming out of a picket chest and changing into the heartthrob of a era, the philosophy appears becoming: begin small, maintain going.
Muthu Engira Kaattaan might be obtainable to stream on JioHotstar from March 27
Published – March 14, 2026 04:15 pm IST
