The actor talks about his approach to acting, stardom, evolution, learning from veteran actors and more in a candid conversation.
Edited excerpts:
In a recent interview, you said, ‘I’m a better producer than an actor’.
I’ve so many limitations as an actor. I’ve to ask my director of photography about the lens, how close and far we are… I think an actor shouldn’t do that. I’ve never seen Mammootty sir or Mohanlal sir doing that. Even my father says that once you have learned your lines, you shouldn’t worry about anything else. I keep discovering that I depend on many people to get it right.
As a producer, I give people immense freedom to explore, and I like that. When someone like Dileesh Pothan or Syam Pushkaran is given absolute freedom to explore, it’s totally different than staying in a film and controlling it. However, I have to be very conscious about the kind of films I act in.
Some wonder why you do relatively supporting roles in other language films instead of bigger roles in Malayalam films…
I don’t work on timelines. I never start or finish things on time. There’s no plan. I’m just doing things I’m excited about. My commitment to the audience is, that I’ll try and make my films watchable. I don’t want them to think about me otherwise or what I’m doing with my life… Think about me only in the theatre, not outside. I don’t want them to talk about actors or performances at the dining table. There’s more you can do with your life than watching films. Just watch my film — only if it’s good. If it’s not, don’t.
Your last few films lack a heroine. At one point, there were films like Annayum Rasoolum and Paachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum, but, for the longest time, the man-woman thing has been absent.
I’m going to look into that. Every time I think about doing a love story, the taste is also a factor. I want to do something which is today’s Mouna Ragam. It’s not easy. The world has changed so much that it’s not easy to give your take on a marriage. I dream of doing a film like Revolutionary Road. But no one calls me for that.
What’s the difference between playing a larger-than-life character like Ranga (in Aavesham) and a larger-than-life movie like Pushpa?
The setting of Pushpa itself is larger-than-life. Aavesham is set in a familiar location like Bengaluru. Pushpa can be set anywhere. Aavesham cannot be. The approach is different for both.
When you watch Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, and Rajinikanth act now, what do you think they bring to their scenes?
When I see each of them perform individually, it’s not that I get their process, but I understand how they’re so sincere and honest in front of their camera. That’s because they believe everyone is equal in front of the camera. They explore the scene and indulge in discussions that make you feel at ease. When I see them do a line, the history of cinema runs through me. It’s so unreal.
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