I don't want to be called a star: Tamil actor Pasupathi

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 24: Tamil actor Pasupathi, whose latest Malayalam film 'Vairam' is running to packed houses here, says he would prefer to be known as an actor and not as a star.

"I am least interested in star status or star value. My only objective is to be a good actor and that my films should run on its merit and not on star value," said Pasupathi, who has acted in 25 Tamil films since making his debut nine years back.

He was here to promote the film that also stars Suresh Gopi.

Pasupathi made his debut with a cameo in Malayalam film "Big B" that had Mammootty in lead role. "Vairam" is his second Malayalam film.

Comparing Tamil and Malayalam films, the actor said the latter certainly have a better quality when it comes to the scripts. "But the remuneration is better in Tamil because it has a wider audience and the budgets of Tamil films are bigger," added Pasupathi.

Directed by M.A. Nishad, "Vairam" is set in Kerala and revolves around a father's fight for justice after his daughter Vairamani (Dhanya) is molested and killed. Pasupathi plays Vairamani's father Sivarajan. He is a Tamilian and works in Kerala as a bank officer. He is married to Devi (Meera Vasudev), a Malayali.

When Sivaraman realises that money and political power are influencing the judiciary, he decides to track down culprit on his own. The film also stars Suresh Gopi, Mukesh, Kalabhavan Mani, Jayasurya and Samvrutha Sunil.

Nishad claims that the film is partially based on a real-life story.

"I would like to say that the story in my film is the hero and the basic thread of the story has been taken from an incident that occurred in the state," said Nishad who also added that he wants to be known as a commercial director as his earlier films dwelt on socially relevant issues.