Ashwin Kakumanu on marginalisation: 'Actors are celebrated only when they are successful'

On Sunday, Ashwin Kakumanu expressed his views on prevalent marginalization in the south film industry, on social media. He said that generally in the film industry an actor is respected based on the box office success of the previous film. "An outsider is celebrated and treated like a god, only when they are successful. 'Hard work never fails' is a cliche that is only celebrated when the result is a 'public' success," (sic) said Ashwin Kakumanu. 

Ashwin Kakumanu, who debuted in the South film industry with Gautham Menon's Nadunisi Naaygal, revealed that people in the film industry try to humiliate and marginalise efforts of actors who do not have enough box office success compared to their contemporaries. He further added that he is "more numb to every new variation of these efforts to sideline." (sic)

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Ashwin Kakumanu lastly exclaimed, "it's ironic and only reinforces that people like to back the winning horse or what they think the winning horse is going to be. And it's sad that this mentality is everywhere, about numbers, markets, and 'mass bro', instead of the work." (sic) Ashwin Kakumanu further wished if the film industry could treat everyone equal, just like humans not as actors. Ashwin Kakumanu's hard-hitting post on marginalisation comes after Bollywood actor Abhay Deol shared an instance of getting sidelined by Award functions. 

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Ashwin Kakumanu debuted in the south film industry with Gautham Vasudeva Menon's Nadunisi Naaygal (2011). In his less than a decade long career, Ashwin Kakumanu has been a part of several movies like Mankatha (2011), 7aum Arivu (2011), Megha (2014), among others. Ashwin was last seen playing a pivotal role in multi-starrer Neerthirai. The movie has an ensemble cast consisting of Nassar, Thalaivasal Vijay, Viji Chandrasekhar, Rohini, and Ashwin Kakumanu in pivotal roles. The movie was declared a box office debacle. 

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On the work front, Ashwin Kakumanu will be next seen in Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan. The movie has an ensemble cast consisting of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Jayaram Ravi, Trisha, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vikram Prabhu, and Ashwin Kakumanu, among others in prominent roles. The Mani Ratnam directorial is reported to be a two-part film, whose screenplay is adapted by theatre actor Elango Kumaravel and the director himself. 

Ponniyin Selvan's shooting began in 2019, and till now, the team has finished two shooting schedules. The forthcoming movie is co-produced by Subaskaran Allirajah and Mani Ratnam under their production banners Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies respectively.