Inspired by the cinematic brilliance of Mullum Malarum and Nayakan, Bagavathi Perumal—fondly known as Bucks—set out on a path to filmmaking, driven by a dream that burned bright despite the hurdles. The journey was far from a fairy tale, but Bucks met every delay with resilience and humour. What could have been frustration, he turned into laughter, carving a space for himself as a beloved comic presence in Tamil cinema.

Though the director’s chair still awaits him, Bucks has lived a moment of poetic full circle—sharing the screen with the very legends who once lit the spark in him. And while acting keeps him close to the camera, his storytelling instinct hasn’t rested. On the other hand, with Thug Life garnering mixed reviews across the country, Bucks opened up about the film from his perspective in an exclusive interview.

What’s up with you and the police uniform? You have managed to carve memorable characters whenever you have donned the Khaki? What’s the magic?
You’re only talking about the movies I ended up doing, but there’s actually a long list of films I turned down—some of which were quite successful. There’s always this thought at the back of my mind: I shouldn’t be doing eight police roles in a row. If a cop role comes in after a gap, that’s okay. But when Tourist Family came my way, I didn’t have to think too much, because I had already done Blue Star and Good Night after Thunivu.

But if it looks like I’m doing three police films one after another, I genuinely get scared—like, should I just convert my house into a police station? When it starts to feel like that, I say no. I’ve actually missed a few roles because of this.
For example, I was offered Bala Saravanan’s role in Darling, and again in Thirudan Police. I said no to both because at that time, I was already doing Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Oorum. Honestly, I should’ve taken it, but I had that little fear in me.

Whenever you appear on screen, it’s almost impossible to entirely trust you. It’s like expecting you to switch up anytime on screen? How do you decide on a project before signing up for it?
Even when I keep getting police characters in many films, I look at it as a challenge—a test. I never thought, “What man, why are you always giving me police roles?” I didn’t see it that way because, as an actor, the question is—how many variations can you bring to the same kind of role?

Johnny Depp once spoke about a quote from Marlon Brando. Brando said, “We have very few faces, don’t overuse them.” But Depp responded to that by saying, “That’s alright. It’ll keep coming as we take.” I really believe in that.

We have to talk about your acting process. Especially about your Berlin character. It has seeped into you so much that once that character showed up during Thunivu’s filming?
The very basic thing for me is the director’s vision and the script. That’s what guides you. Personally, I’ll first read my scene and then go through the full script, because I need to know where my character fits in the story, what I can do, what I shouldn’t do, and to get a sense of the film’s overall mood.

In Thunivu, for example, I said a dialogue, and they were like, “Ajith has already said that line.” Since I didn’t know the full story at that point, I just asked, “Can I say this dialogue?” And they said, “Ajith sir’s character speaks in the next scene.”
I try to improvise within the flow, but the basic reference is always the director’s vision and the script. I look for those small gaps where I can bring in my inputs. Sometimes directors like it—most of the time, actually. But there are also times when they may not like it, or it just doesn’t fit.

While shooting Thunivu, the director pointed out that Berlin was popping out a bit too much and gently asked me to tone it down. On the other hand, some directors want me to exactly replicate Berlin—and that’s something I usually avoid.

We recently spoke to Ravi K Chandran sir, and he said how flawless Kamal Haasan sir was on the camera and how is eyes never missed the light. Now that the film has released, can you share your experience working on the film?
Last year, the teaser of the film was released. After watching it, I honestly thought the shooting was already done. And I remember thinking, I should’ve acted in this film (Thug Life).

Exactly a month later, around Pongal, I got a call. “We’re calling from Madras Talkies…”

The first day of the shoot was at Mani Mahal. That’s when they introduced me to Kamal sir. “This is Bagavathi Perumal,” they said. And he just smiled and said, “I know.”

It felt surreal—Mani sir introducing me to Kamal sir. What more can I say? That was the beginning. From then on, every single day on set was a masterclass. Magic. Magic. Magic.

This was my first film with Kamal sir. First with Simbu (Silambarasan TR) brother. First with Joju chettan (Joju George). Every single one of them is a gem of a person. We had a wonderful time working together. Thug Life is truly a special film.

To everyone’s surprise, Thug Life was received with a mixed response across the country. How did the film work for you? Did it meet your expectations, especially after being part of its making?
To be honest, I’m a bit detached from it. Even before working on Thug Life, I’ve been a Mani Ratnam fan. I’ve watched all his films on the first day. But I also know that not all of them connect with everyone. Some can be disappointing, and even during those, I used to wonder—why did they do that? Why take that route?

But the answers are always there. If you read the book Conversations with Mani Ratnam, he explains it very clearly. He says, ‘If I go this way in a script, the audience will clap here, whistle there, this moment will work in theatres.’ He knows exactly what will click with the audience—but he deliberately doesn’t go that way. He takes a completely different path. And no one really knows where that path is headed.

Sometimes that route leads to something beautiful—like Alaipayuthey or OK Kanmani. When the audience’s expectations align with Sir’s journey, the result is magic. But often, he chooses paths where the chance of disconnection is high. That’s not because he doesn’t know what works. He’s a master.

I mean, imagine—38 years ago, who was showing a prostitute as a lead character? Back then, she was either someone who gets “saved” by the hero or someone who gets exploited by the villain. But Mani sir wrote her as the central character and made people accept her without flinching. That too, in the ’80s! Even the protagonist in that film had committed a murder at a young age. These weren’t “safe” stories. But he still told them—and made them feel real.

So, in my opinion, what happened with Thug Life is simply this: he’s again trying to find his own route. And in that journey, anything can happen. Hits, misses—it’s all part of the ride. And I’ve seen that both Mani sir and Kamal sir are completely okay with that. They’re not obsessed with how the final output lands. For them, it’s about the process—the shoot that day, the scene they’re making in that moment.

Their sincerity is unreal. I’ve seen them show up at 5 AM, fully involved, fully present. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t do that. So yes, maybe the film didn’t meet the audience’s expectations—but that doesn’t mean they didn’t give it their everything.

And that’s what I really learned from being a part of this: we put our effort into the process; they take energy from the process. For them, each day on set is the oxygen, the blood that keeps them going.

You seemed to be having the time of your life as an actor. After Kamal Haasan, you are sharing screenspace with Superstar Rajnikanth. Can you share your experience?
Jailer 2. I acted alongside Thalaivar. Even now, I can’t believe it. Did I really stand next to him? Did I actually share screen space with him?

I still remember the first day of the shoot. He came up to me with that signature warmth and said, “Vaanga, vaanga, vaanga… You acted as a police officer alongside Vijay Sethupathi, that film…”

I said, “Super Deluxe.” And he goes, “Haaa, pinniteenga!”
In my head, I was freaking out—Thalaivar is talking to me. Thalaivar is appreciating my performance. I was just thinking, “Okay, please don’t wake up from this!”

I’ve worked with Kamal sir as well. And I hold both of them at the same level. Their styles and approaches might be different, but the impact they’ve made—it’s unmatched. They live, eat, and breathe cinema.

You entered this industry with a dream to become a director, but you have turned into a successful actor. What are your thoughts on this?
No, because it’s not like how it used to be. Back in 2000, I worked on a Kannada film for Karthik Raghunath. If you look at that film, it was shot in two months, post-production took one month, and the next month it was released. So, in just four months, I got the full experience of working on a film as an assistant director.

Now, it’s not like that anymore. Everything is a huge process. Even with low-budget films, they start by saying, “We’ll finish it quickly,” but deep down, we all know it’ll take at least one and a half years.

I had a story—something like Mouna Guru. But I set it in a village. That was the twist. It was commercial, engaging, entertaining—but without a typical ‘hero’. It was based on a short story by Vela Rama Murthy. We worked together and wrote the screenplay.

I went around pitching it. Some people who heard the script said it was like the next Paruthiveeran. But for various reasons, it didn’t move to the next stage.

Now, I have an animation script. I’ve been working on it for 12 years. I actually started it after Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom and finished it during the COVID lockdown—so we can say around 8 years of real work.

Right now, I’m pitching that. It won’t come under direction because the budget alone will be around $300 million. So, I’m planning to just give the script. The process for that kind of film is completely different. I can’t be adamant about directing it—then it’ll never get made.