Yogi Babu likes to believe that it’s his unique hairstyle that got him roles in the Tamil film industry. “I have hair that will just not listen. So I stand out during every casting process. One section of my hair grows in the North direction, while the other goes South. Earlier, it used to be irritating, but now, it’s my lucky charm,” he tells Silverscreen.
With Mohini and Junga, he’s had two releases this weekend. “I like to write my own dialogues. For most of my films, I coordinate with the director and bring my own take of the situation through my one-liners. Sometimes, my lines are already written and there’s just nothing that can be done. I try and avoid double entendre though.”
Yogi says that he watches most of his films with his parents and would not like to say any dialogue that will get him into trouble with them.
“I have compromised on this before, but I am trying hard to avoid vulgar dialogues nowadays,” he added.
His role in Kolamavu Kokila – that will release on August 17 – has already created a lot of buzz. In a song – Kalyana Vayasu, Yogi Babu expresses his love for Nayanthara’s character. The track has become popular and the actor’s unique dance steps have earned him new fans as well.
“The director (Nelson) just let me do my own thing. I think that’s very important. And since I got that freedom to express myself, I could make it work,” he said.
Yogi Babu does not have an origin story. Or rather, he does not want to reveal it. “All artistes have one story. They struggled till they became famous. Mine is one such story. There is nothing new in it. And moreover, I don’t want to tell people.”
This has not always been the case. As a young actor, Yogi was eager to talk to people about himself. “But they all wanted to know about my work with Ajith sir or Vijay sir. Nobody asked about me. And even if they did, that information would not make it to the final cut. So, I simply stopped.”
But the route to stardom has been tough, he acknowledged. “Army was my main dream. I have been imagining a life in the Indian Army for as long as I can remember. When that didn’t happen, I was heartbroken. The only other alternative then was Tamil cinema. I thought it would be easy to get in. On the contrary, it proved to be too tough.”
His unusual appearance and deadpan humour ultimately fetched him roles. “In most of them, I get beaten around. I don’t mind getting beaten up by big heroes. I don’t want to be a hero. I just want to keep doing something. This has become life now, and so one must do everything to survive.”
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Comic actors often bear the brunt of the hero’s displeasure. They are kicked around, insulted and harassed in the name of humour. Dhanush’s Maari even had a character called Adithangi, who existed only to be a punching bag. “But that was also the case for Vadivelu sir and Senthil sir. They would make fun of others and each other. They would hit each other and others. Humour is not always intellectual. It has to be physical. Not everybody can understand clever humour. There has to be some slapstick in films too.”
Yogi Babu is not offended by the things that are said about him. Or the things that are done to him. “Why should I take it personally? If they’re paying someone like me, it is for my skills. So I need to use them to keep getting paid. My USP is my face and my hair. If someone wants to call me an African, let them. I know who I am and besides, I am the one with the big paycheck.”