Heroines and directors aren't the only ones from Malayalam who are now in big demand in Tamil film industry. There also is a big demand for villains and character artistes from Malayalam. Lal is one such actor who is making hay while the sun shines in Tamil.

He says, "Right now I'm working in four films in Tamil. I play the role of proper villain in some of them and in the rest, I play the role of partial villain. Frankly, there is nothing much that films have to offer. In all the films, there will be a hero and a heroine. If the hero isn't rich, then the heroine almost always is.

"If the heroine is a rich girl, then she'll always have a father who isn't happy with her choice of boyfriend. This is the usual formula that you see in all the films, especially in Tamil. It always is the villain who stands between the lovers and their marriage or in their romance itself.

"The story is the same- a villain, with lot of henchmen, who controls the entire city, walks around with huge knives and weapons and picks up a fight with the hero. The hero has to deal with this formidable enemy and also find time to romance the heroine, who almost always is closely related to the villain...

"This is how most films in Tamil are. Out of fifteen films, atleast ten stick to the routine," he concludes.