Tamil actor-comedian Vivek, who was on a sabbatical for nearly two years, was working in close association with former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, on the Green Kalam Project - an awareness drive on tree planting. He says the experience was indeed an honour.
"He chose me as the face of his campaign over so many others. He could have chosen anybody in the industry, but he chose me and I couldn't say 'no' come what may. It was a privilege I couldn't let go of," Vivek said.
"As part of the project, I was asked to plant 10 lakh saplings in Tamil Nadu. The number was raised to 1 crore after I had achieved the first goal. A lot of time and effort had gone into the campaign and therefore I couldn't take out time for films," he added.
He is happy that he made best use of his sabbatical.
"There is no feeling of regret spending time on the campaign. I think working closely with Kalam made me realise how simple he is in life. I was happy I have something to be proud of even on my sabbatical," he said.
Known for his work in films such as "Run", "Saamy" and "Perazhagan", Vivek made a strong comeback in recently released Tamil action-drama "Singam 2".
Does he feel the industry has become competitive?
"It has always been competitive. South Indian films have most number of comedians and to see them all on screen at times, is unrealistic. I'm happy that the industry has room for so many of us," said Vivek.
He is currently busy shooting for "Naan Than Bala" and "Killadi" and "Padam Pesum".