Milind Soman interview: On ‘Muthu Engira Kaattaan’ and his secret to staying fit at 60

For more than three decades, Milind Soman has occupied a curious place in India’s cultural imagination — first as the model who defined an era of advertising in the 1990s, later as an athlete and symbol of endurance running and fitness, and then as an actor moving between languages and industries, on screens big and small. 

At 60, Milind continues to move easily between these worlds. His latest project brings him back to the Tamil film industry after a gap of four years with Muthu Engira Kaattaan, a gritty folk-noir crime series created by M Manikandan and starring Vijay Sethupathi.

For the actor, the decision to take on the role came down to the fundamentals of storytelling. “If the project is interesting, the role is interesting, I like the people, then I do it. I’ve worked in many languages — Japanese, English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Arabic. So, the language is not important in cinema. It’s the storytelling. The story is the number one thing,” he says in a telephonic interview with The Hindu ahead of the release of Kaattaan.

In the series, Milind plays Sivettan, an influential figure whose relationship with Muthu (Vijay Sethupathi), forms one of the emotional anchors of the story. The bond between the two characters, he says, was one of the aspects that stood out to him while reading the script. “The relationship between my character Sivettan and Vijay Sethupathi’s character Muthu is very interesting. It’s a beautiful, warm, affectionate relationship of a mentor and mentee. Almost like a father-son kind of relationship,” he says. 

The project also marked Milind’s first collaboration with filmmaker M Manikandan, known for his grounded storytelling and strong writing in films like Kadaisi Vivasayi, Kaaka Muttaiand more. For the actor, the director’s clarity on set made the process smooth. “He’s very clear about what he wants. I think that’s the mark of any good director; when he’s able to explain exactly what he wants. At the same time, good directors also allow the actors to improvise and suggest. Then it becomes a collaborative effort,” says Milind. 

He adds that working alongside Sethupathi, who also serves as the producer of the series, was equally comfortable. “He’s very easy to work with, and makes sure that everyone is having a good time. There’s no stress on the set,” he says. While language differences can sometimes create small hurdles, Milind says he never felt out of place on set. “He’s (Vijay Sethupathi) obviously very comfortable in Tamil, it’s his first language. It’s not my first language, but I never felt that we have to compromise on something because of that,” he says. 

Speak to him about fitness, and Milind is quick to dismiss the idea that it requires anything extraordinary. “I don’t have any coach or trainer or dietitian or nutritionist. I don’t go to the gym, I have no routine, no regime. I have an understanding which has developed over the decades of what I absolutely need to do. Every day I do that, maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes, but not more than that,” he says. 

For those who want to begin later in life but feel intimidated, his advice is straightforward: start small. “If you’re intimidated, then start very, very small. If one day you want to just do one push-up, do it. And if you feel comfortable, do two. Slowly and gradually you improve.” 

Consistency, he believes, can take people further than they imagine. “Eventually, if you’re consistent, you can run a marathon,” Milind says. For someone whose pop-culture journey famously began by popping out of a wooden chest and becoming the heartthrob of a generation, the philosophy seems fitting: start small, keep going. 

Muthu Engira Kaattaan will be available to stream on JioHotstar from March 27