Exclusive! Vaibhav on Accidental Farmer & Co: Working with talented co-stars was a humbling experience

SonyLIV's latest web series in Tamil, Accidental Farmer & Co, stars Vaibhav in lead role. The actor is not new to OTT projects and seems to be quite convinced with the varied requirements of the long-form format. He is excited as it's been a while since he has played a rural character and has pinned high hopes on the project.

In a free-wheeling chat with OTTplay, he opens up about how the series materialized, working with his co-stars, the USP of the project and the surprises movie buffs have in store. Excerpts...

The series is about a care-free youngster who becomes a farmer after he finds out the magical characteristics of a mysterious plant. What was the initial idea director Sugan Jay had in his mind?

It was supposed to be a fun-filled series ever since the idea struck him. I don't think a similar plot has ever been explored before, at least not in the long-form format. I was approached by its creative producer and filmmaker Balaji Mohan. He told me that Sugan wants to narrate a story and that's how it took off.

Why was the idea developed into a web series and not a feature film?

It is primarily because of the restrictions feature films have in terms of duration. A small movie, I mean, a project which doesn't boast of big stars and directors, usually has a run time of around 140 minutes. With a series, we could explore more on the plot and major characters in it. This is precisely the reason why the director pitched the idea to SonyLIV.

What exactly was the reason which impressed you after you were narrated its story?

I really fell in love with my character. It's been really a long time since I have been a part of rural dramas. I was super elated to take up the role of a village guy who is naïve by all means. Everyone takes advantage of his innocent nature and he is forced to make a decision. I had a ball essaying the character. Moreover, the plot has ample hilarious situations which are sure to leave viewers in splits.

The series features a few other actors who are also adept at pulling off comedy. How was it to work with your co-stars?

Working with Badava Gopi, Ramya Pandian and Aravind was a humbling experience. They have their own style when it comes to pulling off comedy. Though we took only 45 days to complete shooting for the whole project, we could improvise a lot and discuss with each other on making fun-filled sequences effectively.

The technical departments of the series feature a few newbies...

Vagu Mazan has composed the music. I think this is the first web series from the south which has music composed by a female artist. She has done a commendable job. So is the cinematographer Sathish Murugan who has been instrumental in providing the required rustic look to the series.