He doesn't mind being called a comedy hero as long as he can make audiences laugh, says Tamil actor Shiva, who enjoys what he is doing to the fullest and has no regrets whatsoever.
"It's not easy to make people laugh and I know it from experience. I enjoy doing films that make people laugh and in the process I don't mind even being called a comedy hero because I believe my mission is to make people laugh," Shiva said.
An RJ-turned-actor, Shiva rose to fame with highly successful Tamil debut "Chennai 600028". Since then he has featured in successful comedies such as "Tamizh Padam" and "Kalakalappu" in the same language.
"I don't go in search of films, they come to me. I think what matters most is whether audiences accept me as an actor or not in a particular role. They have accepted in the roles I have done so far, therefore, I don't really worry about the genre of my film," he said.
Shiva has four more Tamil comedies lined up -- "Thillu Mullu", releasing Friday, as well as "Sonna Puriyadhu", "Ya Ya" and "Vanakkam Chennai".
"All these are not full length comedy films, but are laced with other genres such as romance and action. "Sonna Puriyadhu" and "Vanakkam Chennai" have good share of romance while "Ya Ya" and "Thillu Mullu" are a laugh riot," said Shiva, who has also featured in Tamil comedy-thriller "Saroja" and drama "Pathinaaru".
Don't you get bored of doing films in the same genre?
"Would you compromise your strength for weakness? Comedy is my strength and why would I want to trade it for something else. Moreover, we all love to laugh, don't we? If I'm giving reasons to people to laugh then I should be happy about it," he said.
He, however, clarifies that it is important to diversify within comedy genre.
"Comedy has so many sub-genres such as slapstick, adult and dark. Even though audiences love comedy, they expect some change within comedy once in a while. I ensure I stick to variety in comedy," Shiva said.
Shiva says "Thillu Mullu" is the funniest film in his career. The film is a remake of 1981 Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil comedy "Thillu Mullu", which was an official remake of Hindi classic "Golmaal".
"I have never had so much fun working on any project. I feel privileged to act in the remake of superstar Rajinikanth's film," he said.