I had to cut down on biryani and ice cream while shooting for Don: Sivakarthikeyan

Don, directed by Cibi Chakravarthy, Atlee's former assistant, will hit the screens on May 13

Sivakarthikeyan in Don

Sivakarthikeyan, whose Don is released on May 13 in theatres, is excited about playing a college student for the first time in his career. "It wasn't an easy process. I play a 17-year-old in the flashback portions, so I had to shed a few kilos to look fit in front of the camera. Naturally, I had to cut down on things that I like, including biryani and ice cream. I didn't have a choice because I had college-going guys sharing the frame with me," he says.

Don, directed by Cibi Chakravarthy, Atlee's former assistant, has SJ Suryah playing the antagonist. In an interview with DT Next, Sivakarthikeyan says, "When I started as a mimicry artist on television, SJ Suryah’s voice was my claim to fame. Even in college, I used to mimic his voice at cultural events and have won several prizes. That was when New had released and I was the first person to mimic him frequently, which earned me recognition. When it came to Don, I didn’t mimic him off-screen but you could see me doing that once in the film!"

The film marks his second collaboration with Priyanka Mohan after Doctor. Sivakarthikeyan tells DT Next, "We hit it off quite well. But, her role in Don is different from what we saw in Nelson Dilipkumar's film. I had absolute fun working with her."

With many south stars foraying into the OTT world, Sivakarthikeyan has been clear in releasing his films in theatres. "That is what I have dreamt of—to see myself on the big screen. And as a producer, I have been offered several scripts. However, I haven’t zeroed in on any for that space yet," he adds.

Apart from being a successful actor and producer, Sivakarthikeyan enjoys penning songs, like his filmmaker friend Vignesh Shivn. The actor was quoted saying in DT Next, “I am not a lyricist by profession. I pen down my thoughts on the phone whenever I am approached to write lyrics for a particular situation. Writing in colloquial Tamil is easier as classical Tamil is too dense for me to write at the moment."

The remuneration earned by Sivakarthikeyan to pen lyrics for the film will be handed over to late lyricist Na Muthukumar’s family. "I have been a huge fan of his since my college days. His lyrics along with Yuvan’s music were a formative influence in my teenage years. This is my way of giving something back to him and it will continue," Sivakarthikeyan assures.

On the work front, Sivakarthikeyan is working on Ayalaan and SK 20 with director Anudeep KV. Besides these, he has a film with Rajkumar Periasamy of Rangoon-fame. Tentatively titled RKFI Production No: 51, the film, also starring Sai Pallavi, is produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, Sony Pictures Films India, and R Mahendran. Unconfirmed sources say it's a period film. However, we await an official confirmation.

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