Interview Actor Saiju Kurup: I understand it’s better not to have a wish list

Saiju is ugly Photo credit: Special Arrangements

Saiju Kurup laughs at the various tags attached to his name — loan star, debt star, EMI star, etc. “I take it positively and enjoy the memes. At least people are talking about me,” says Saiju, who plays a character in the same mold Porattu Natakam Releasing on October 18. Post his OTT debut in the web series, Joy MahendranHis first in a title role, he also got a new tag. “Someone called me a language star because I made a video in seven languages ​​where the series is released!”

Saiju plays the role of the kind-hearted but intelligent deputy tehsildar G Mahendran Joy Mahendran. “I didn’t do any homework for the character. I did what the director said. I wasn’t ready for any role in my career except for one Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela In which I played the role of a cancer specialist. I met a real-life doctor to play that character,” he says.

The actor says he relies on his judgment to execute a role. “I just look at how we humans react to a given situation. In bharatanatyam, I am an officer of the temple executive committee and many have asked me if I have been with such a man in real life. In fact I lived outside Kerala (Nagpur) till I finished my engineering and was rarely in such a situation before. I followed my director’s briefing and my understanding of the situation.”

Saiju Kurup and Rahul Riji Nair in the web series Joy Mahendran
| Photo credit: Special Arrangements

Saiju is all praise for his co-stars Joy MahendranEspecially the versatile Rahul Riji Nair, writer and producer of the series who plays Balu, Mahendran’s partner in crime. We have been friends since working on his film. dakini. Rahul knows the character since he wrote it. We didn’t rehearse; We supported and complemented each other in our ensemble scenes.”

Rumors all around Joy Mahendran Another success comes close on the heels. His production debut, BharatanatyamWhat failed at the box office, has come up trumps on streaming platforms. “The film crossed 58 million streaming minutes. It’s overwhelming when people call it an OTT blockbuster When it didn’t do well in theatre, I was so depressed that my wife Anupama even asked me if I wanted to take a break to get out of the situation. Several friends from within and outside the industry stood by me. Thomas consciousness (Thomas Thiruvalla, Co-Producer Bharatanatyam), Tried to cheer me up saying it will do well on OTT. And it did.”

Saiju is ugly and Mia is Joy Mahendran
| Photo credit: Special Arrangements

So, is he ready for another production? “Not really. I wanted to make a film and I did it. If something exciting comes up, I might do it again.”

With this being his 20th year in the industry and over 150 films in his career, Saiju is happy to have come this far, especially since he had no plans to become an actor. It was this serendipity that landed him his first film – Hariharan Myokham (2004), also Mamata Mohandas’ debut film. Saiju was working as a sales officer in a leading telecom company when he met singer MG Sreekumar for some official work. When Sreekumar asked Saiju if he wanted to act, he said yes.

Saiju is ugly Bharatanatyam
| Photo credit: Special Arrangements

“Initially I was not interested in acting. As I started to work more, I could feel myself growing as an artist. It took eight years to get a big break with me Trivandrum Lodge. By then I understood how the industry works,” he says, adding, “It’s important to have the foundation. What has kept me in good stead is that I have not hurt anyone and that naturally brings goodwill. It’s great when people address me by the names of the characters I play.”

The actor seems realistic about doing family dramas and playing characters of the same template – the ones that are burdened with problems. “Those who want to make a film with me in the lead role have a fixed budget in mind and that budget will only work for a family film. I’m fine with that. I can also do comedy. There have been exceptions guardianA thriller, which we stopped because it required a limited budget I don’t want any producer to suffer because of me.

A still from Bharatanatyam
| Photo credit: Special Arrangements

And he no longer has a wish list of roles. “There was one. Now I filter from the offers I get. I realized it’s better not to have that wish list.”

What excites him more is working with young directors. “I started my career with seasoned filmmakers. I respected them but was intimidated by their height. Now I am at ease with the little ones. I am proud that they are choosing me in their film.”

He added that even if there were opportunities to do films in other languages, he could not take them up. “There was an offer from the Telugu film industry to act with Jr. NTR and I was getting roles from the Tamil film industry. Most of these projects come at the expense of upsetting my schedule here. I may take such roles in the future, if I need more money!

Currently shooting is going on David With Anthony Pepe, he will be seen next Abhilasham, written and directed by God, Satharthi Srikuttan And Anand Sribala.

Joy Mahendran Streaming on SonyLIV and Bharatanatyam On Amazon Prime, Manorama Max and Simply South.