He has both big-budget Hollywood and Oscar-winning films as part of his diverse filmography. Now, British actor Daniel Caltagirone essays a parallel lead to Chiyaan Vikram in Pa. Ranjith’s Tamil biggie Thangalaan. The film, that also stars Parvathy Thiruvothu and Malavika Mohanan in key roles, releases wide in theatres on August 15. A t2 chat with Daniel.

Thangalaan is a festival day release. Have you been surprised by the kind of frenzy that accompanies the release of big Indian films, especially those made in the southern part of the country?

It has been relentlessly exciting, it is quite extraordinary. In the West, when a trailer comes out, most people hold back their opinions till they watch the film. But with Thangalaan, we have had people going insane with excitement. We have a lot to live up to now because just from the trailer alone, people are losing their minds! I am thinking what is going to happen when the film comes out!

I am hoping it translates (into footfalls). People here are very passionate about the movies and, especially, as you said, those in the southern part of the country. They are always very excited about these big-scale films.

How did Thangalaan happen for you?

I got call from my agent saying an illustrious Indian filmmaker named Pa. Ranjith wanted to speak to me. I have had a connection with Indian filmmakers — I was directed by Shekhar Kapur in The Four Feathers with Heath Ledger and I did The Fall with Tarsem Singh, for which we shot in Rajasthan. It has now become a cult movie studied by filmmakers and film students from all over the world.

For Thangalaan, I had a very long Zoom meeting with Pa. Ranjith. He pitched his vision of a crazy film set in a fantastical world and asked me whether I wanted to be a part of it. I don’t know what specifically drew him to me but he said that he was looking for a specific type of actor and he wasn’t going to make the character a cliche. I am glad he clarified that because I didn’t want to play a cliched, cardboard cutout British character in an Indian film.

He assured me that he was looking at me as the parallel lead, which is very rare for a Western actor in an Indian film. You will see my character doing not very nice things but you will also see different sides of him — being nice, warm and generous — because he is a good man corrupted by what he desires.

The other interesting aspect is that nobody is good in this film... we are all bad and we all get corrupted. Pa. Ranjith told me he was looking for an an actor who didn’t mind doing tough things and I think my military background came in handy. He was nervous about hiring a Western actor who doesn’t necessarily understand the Indian core of the story. But that I had worked with Indian directors and had spent considerable time in India made him think I was the perfect candidate.

What kind of preparation went into doing a film in a different language and set in a different culture and milieu? Is it true that you didn’t read the script?

Yes, I did not read the script but it wasn’t because it was in Tamil. They did translate it into English but I didn’t read it on purpose because I felt that Ranjith was a filmmaker who wasn’t constrained by a script. The script was his guide but he did things above and beyond it.

I decided not to read the script and this is something I hadn’t done before. I knew the story — including the beginning, middle and end — and I knew what the themes were and what my character was meant to be... but I wanted to play this character like a mad experiment and as close as possible to life... like how we live our lives every day without knowing what will happen next. I thought an organic approach would fit in more with this type of a film.

Every day on set, he would convey the scene to me and trusted me implicitly to sort out the lines and convey it in a simple, methodical way.

Clement is a very powerful character but I didn’t want the other people in a scene to kowtow to him just because he is a high-ranking British Army officer. Instead, I wanted him to be physically imposing. For that, I put on a stone-and-a-half of weight. I ate a lot of pasta before I arrived in India and when in India, I started on Indian food. I was eating like a demon, everything from fried fish to sweets. Lemon rice was literally coming out of my ears! (Laughs) I would have five scoops of chocolate chip ice cream every day. I piled on a lot of weight.

I also prepped by looking at the history of colonialism. I watched KGF (starring Yash), I looked at real-life army officers who went to KGF (Kolar Gold Fields) to find gold.

I also watched some of Pa. Ranjith’s films, especially Madras and Sarpatta Parambarai. The social commentary in his films reminds me of Spike Lee’s cinema. He is an admirer of Quentin Tarantino and that shows up in the visceral energy that his films have.

For many in the West, Bollywood is the be-all and end-all of Indian cinema. Did that perception change for you with Thangalaan?

I didn’t know about the vastness and diversity of Indian regional cinema. While I was researching about Pa. Ranjith, I discovered that every region and state in India has its own film industry which has a different culture, ethos, politics, history and milieu and all of them have some fantastic filmmakers.

As you said, most people outside have this perception that all cinema in India comes out of Mumbai. It is up to the film folks in India to popularise the cinema of their region and take it to the world.

I watched RRR and was intrigued by it. The reason why it became so popular outside is because it is such a colourful and energetic film. More importantly, it symbolises the filmmaking that we have lost in the West. I watched 3 Idiots and it made me laugh. I also watched Fighter because I really like its soundtrack and I wanted to see how it compared to Top Gun because it is clearly based on Top Gun. My education in Indian cinema is just beginning.

You have been a part of some pretty big films in Hollywood. What would you pick as the highlights of your career?

I am not Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise but I have been among the 0.1 per cent of actors in Hollywood that has managed to get good roles on a consistent basis. I have been in some big-budget Hollywood films and also a part of Oscar-winning cinema. Luck has played a big role because you can be the most talented actor in the world but if luck is not on your side, nobody will get to see your work. Talent and success do not necessarily sit on the same bed.

My first turning point was my first big Hollywood movie called Legionnaire, with Jean-Claude Van Damme. I was one of the leads, along with him. I was very young and it was a big break for me. I did a walk-in part in Friends but it gave me the opportunity to push ahead. I was lucky enough to be in The Pianist which is voted as one of the best films of all time in almost every ‘top films’ list. It was a pivotal role for me and the subject is still relevant today. The film left a deep impact on me as was being directed by a filmmaker like Roman Polanski.

My gut tells me that Thangalaan could be a game changer for me. I am playing a parallel lead to a famous Indian actor (Chiyaan Vikram). Whether the film is successful or not, this will be a turning point for me because how many of my colleagues in the West can say that they have been in a big Indian film as a parallel lead?

After this, is there a plan to do more Indian cinema?

I genuinely don’t know. It could even be a one-off because l don’t know if I will get other Indian filmmakers with the same mentality as Pa. Ranjith. But I would love to work with SS Rajamouli, Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar. I have seen bits and pieces of their work, I have seen them in interviews and I like their philosophy.

But I am not ready to do cliched, supporting or antagonist roles that actors from the West generally get in Indian cinema. The question is if Indian cinema is ready to offer someone who looks like me the lead role in a film?