‘I will never do a rapist or paedophile role’

You debuted in Mayookham, directed by the legendary T Hariharan. How did that opportunity come about?

I met M G Sreekumar sir during a sales call, the day after he recorded Bhagavathi Kaavil for Mayookham. Hariharan sir had apparently described the role to him. The character had to be 6ft tall, about 20 to 25 years old, with big eyes. It wasn’t a typical hero role. In the first half, he was a bit of an anti-hero, and in the second half, he turns positive. They were looking for a newcomer who could manage both.

When I went to Chennai for the audition, I had no idea what to expect. It was my first audition, and the queue was full of good-looking people, many with thick moustaches like mine. I even saw people resembling Kunchacko Boban there. I was certain they won’t pick me.

I was hoping they would take my audition quickly. I had to get back to work the next day. I was more concerned about work. I was thinking if I get selected and become a known face, it would indirectly boost my sales. I was always a loyal employee in that sense. In fact, I have ensured all in my family use the SIM connections to date (laughs).

The auditions went well. Since my character in the film is a smoker, Hariharan sir wanted to check if I knew how to smoke cigarettes. When he asked me about smoking, I thought he wanted a cigarette and handed over one from my pocket. Everyone around was baffled, except me.

How was your first day on set? Were you intimidated?

I had only watched Sargam at that time. I knew Hariharan sir was a respected director. But at the time, I just saw him as someone my father’s age and treated him with respect, not fear. I didn’t plan to take cinema seriously then. I had initially even assumed that the name in Sargam referred to the singer Hariharan, whom I knew from Maharashtra. There was no Google in 2004 to check. Only later did I realise how fortunate I was. Once I chose acting as a career, the seriousness hit me. Now, I get nervous before the first shot.

You did a lead role, even though you had never performed before. How did you find the confidence?

I think it was God who gave me the confidence. Honestly, I never overthought it. I have never panicked in front of the camera. Since I wasn’t chasing cinema, there was no pressure. My early roles were mostly jovial and loud, which suited me. I am not a one-take artist. I forget lines sometimes.

In Driving Licence, there is a scene where I tell Prithviraj, ‘Johny Peringodan, Johny Peringodan ennokke mediayil niranju nilkkatte.’ After that, I glance at Nandu chettan with a smirk. People noticed that.

But what actually happened was that my lips had gone dry during the take. When my lips get dry, my smile becomes stiff. That unplanned expression worked perfectly. Sometimes magic happens during a take.

Stage is different. I get very nervous. I have always avoided live shows. Earlier, during film promotions, I had to go live on news channels. That always made me tense.

Do you do preps or homework for your roles?

I have done it only once. It was for the oncologist’s role in Njandukalude Naatil Oridavela. I met a doctor in person to observe how he dealt with patients. But he didn’t allow that citing privacy concerns of the patients. But we spoke for a while and I noticed his body language, which was more relaxed, unlike the doctors we usually see in films. Other than that, I haven’t done homework for any role. It includes Arakkal Abu, which contrary to what people think, is an extremely tough role.

When I requested Midhun (Manuel Thomas) for a role in his film, he said, ‘Chetta, we all thought you were gone, but you’ve done well to stage a comeback.’ Upon hearing this, I wanted to impress Midhun further and asked him if I should do some homework. But he asked me to just grow my beard and go. When I finally got into Abu’s look and costume, things just fell into place.