In a roundtable conversation, the Malayalam actor of such films as “Nna Thaan Case Kodu” and “2018” on why actors in Malayalam cinema are okay with smaller parts in good movies and the one quality that binds the surprise hits
Edited excerpts:
On actors willing to do smaller parts in good movies.
Yes, I’ve been part of multi-starrers like Traffic, Virus, and 2018. All these movies have a common thing that binds actors. The excitement factor is one, and the prospect of doing something new is another. That becomes the trigger for trying out different combinations, storylines, and characters. That leads to joining hands with like-minded individuals because for them cinema is the priority, not just their screen space or time. The screen time doesn’t matter if their character is a wonderful character in a good movie. Nowadays the actors are the stars. The scenario has changed that way.
On surprise hits in recent Malayalam cinema.
Be it 2018, RDX, or Romancham… all these were unexpected hits. A lot of bigger movies came before along with them, but these movies were surprise hits. When Jude (Anthany Joseph) brought me the idea of 2018 initially, I was a bit apprehensive because I wondered how he could pull off such a big thing and how it would fare in the theatres. Because we already know the story, how the movie will go, and the climax. Everything is predictable. Maybe there are cliche sequences as well. But all of them were appreciated and accepted by the audience; they clapped and cried… So the thing is, even if we tried making it a different way, if it doesn’t connect on the big screen, there’s no point.
Watch the full roundtable at:
