Ajmal Ameer is honest that way. He resists from painting a rosy picture as far as his acting career is concerned. Ajmal, whose performance in Mysskin’s Anjathey vaulted him to limelight, doesn’t have any qualms about accepting that his journey in filmdom hasn’t been hunky dory and that there have been a few disaster roles.

Ajmal is currently straddling three industries—Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam—with Ula (Tamil), Tanu Monne Vellipoyindi (Telugu) and Mazhaneerthullikal (Malayalam). While he is keen on widening his horizons in filmdom, his main focus is Tamil cinema. “I am now focusing on good commercial films in Tamil. I want to act in flicks that are entertaining, meaningful and consequentially, successful. Fortunately, the Tamil industry is in a state that has enough and more scope for such films. It looks like I am in the right place now,” he says.

Ula, a thriller penned by Rajan Madhav, has an ensemble cast; apart from Ajmal, it stars Ashok, Vidharth and Radhika Apte. With 70 per cent of the film completed, it is a much-awaited film for the actor, who has slowly but steadily begun establishing himself as a lead actor. Mazhaneerthulikal is a revenge-drama film directed by V K Prakash, starring Meera Jasmine and Narein, while Tanu Monne, his 25th film, is an important milestone for the actor. The film is being helmed by renowned filmmaker Vamsi Krishna.

As Kiruba in Anjathey, Ajmal garnered a lot of attention and awards. Following the success, he was swamped by several offers for similar roles. But the actor didn’t want to get pigeonholed. “Anjathey triggered a number of offers for rustic villager roles. I was looking for a project that helped me prove my versatility as an actor. That is when romcom Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru by JS Nandini happened,” he says.

With a string of releases like Taxi and Ko, a project that was later shelved and Karuppampatti that turned out to be a box office debacle, Ajmal’s film route has been a bitter-sweet symphony. And, he says he has learnt a lot from the failures in the course of finding his feet in the industry.

After carving out a niche in the industry with supporting roles in some prominent flicks, Ajmal is now determined to make a mark as the lead actor. “I am now only signing projects that cast me as the lead. But more importantly, it is the content of the film and my role that will determine the choice of project,” he adds.

Ajmal says he wants to be an actor with a vision—someone who does films which have a message for society. “Doing a flick like Vetriselvan was a big step in that direction. It was about how three underdogs can bring about a revolution. It is the genre of film that appeals to my sensibilities as an actor,” he says.

Admitting that the formula of Vetriselvan didn’t appeal to the audience, he says, he has realised that the commercial aspect of a film is equally important for a film to click. “By the end of the day, the product has to appeal to the masses, I have to be content with my role, and my producers have to get returns. This is going to be the mantra for my career for a while now,” he adds.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Tamil / by Janani Sampath / December 14th, 2014