Although he has been around for close to three decades now, villain-turned-hero Sathyaraj, despite an imposing personality and commendable acting skills has never made it to the top bracket and has been more of a bits and pieces player. Most of his films could be categorised as routine and mundane formula fare and his roles were almost stereotyped with films like Pagal Nilavu (Mani Ratnam) or Vedam Puthithu (Bharathiraaja) where he had author-backed roles being few and far between.

Lately however, the six footer has made a quantum leap in his career with two films affording him an opportunity to prove his histrionic skills and Sathyaraj has risen to the occasion with two of the finest performances so far in his long innings. The first of these films was Periyar directed by an IAS officer Gnanarajasekharan based on the life and times of the famous reformist and the founder of the Dravida Kazhagam E V Ramaswami Naicker known the world over as ‘Thanthai Periyar’. This was a role that even the late Sivaji Ganesan, arguably one of the finest actors the country has seen, was keen to perform. For Sathyaraj, a confirmed agnostic and a Periyar follower to boot this was a godsend. Gone were the idiosyncracies that usually characterise his performances and attract frontbenchers and in its stead was a fine portrayal of the man of the masses right from his youth to his eventual death as a nonagenarian.

With the talented actress Khushboo playing his young wife and with the director who had already proved his mettle with films of the same genre, Sathyaraj turned up trumps with an effortless performance that proved to be the mainstay of the classic. And an added laurel that he received from critics was that he also looked the part.
More honours were to follow for Sathyaraj when Thankar Bachchan, a cinematographer-director who had earned acclaim with offbeat films like Solla Marantha Kathai signed him on for Onbathu Rupa Nottu, a film based on a novel written by the director himself. This was a film with a rural backdrop and Sathyaraj was cast as the main protagonist Madhava Padayachi, the patriarch of a family who comes to grief thanks to his charitable disposition and is forced to fend for himself and his aged wife by his sons who show him the door having fleeced him of all his worldly possessions.

Cast opposite Sathyaraj in an equally meaty role as his wife was two-time National Award winner Archana and Sathyaraj has gone on record to say that it was the fear of being outclassed by her that made him redouble his efforts and the result was there for all to see. Sathyaraj had also to contend with another gifted actor Nasser who also had a well-etched role in the film. The film stood out for its rustic theme and for the morals that it preached with a couple of lyrics by ace lyricist Vairamuthu standing out for the wealth of meaning reflecting the poignance of the theme.

Where does Sathyaraj go from here? He has gone back to his usual grind of masala roles and though his stature has risen considerably this minimum guarantee actor, a clear favourite of directors and producers is keeping his fingers crossed waiting for another role into which he can sink his teeth. Sathyaraj had shown great promise in Bharathiraaja’s Vedam Puthithu and has now lived up to expectations with these two outstanding performances.
Right through his career he has won few laurels and awards, but there is no denying the fact that with his talent for underplaying and the method acting that he brings to bear, awards and recognition are round the corner.
The affable actor who has a massive fan following has been an industry man to the core, espousing the cause of his fraternity and is certain to retain his popularity in the days to come too. His son Sibiraj who followed in his footsteps however is yet to make any sort of impression, though the happy-go- lucky Sathyaraj is hardly perturbed on this score.