Indrajith's life after Nayakan

With a wide variety of roles, Indrajith has found acceptance among the most promising talents of the youth brigade in Malayalam.

He has been part of the laugh riot, Happy Husbands, which set the cash registers ringing big time this year. Quite recently, his film Nayakan showed him in an entirely different avatar -- as an action hero.

He played a Kathakali artiste who is on a mission to teach the baddies a lesson or two. Nayakan was appreciated, but didn't become a hit.

Right now, he is acting as a cop in Sajeevan's Chekavar with Kalabhavan Mani and Samvrutha Sunil. Soon, he will be seen in Lal Jose' forthcoming project, Elsamma enna aankutti and in a film directed by a debutant.

Over to Indrajith:

Nayakan has been appreciated by all, though it didn't become a hit. Were you surprised by the positive response to the film?

I got appreciation from everyone who watched it. But there is still a majority of the people who haven't seen it. Maybe the Malayalis are hesitant to accept something new. But things are changing for sure with Nayakan.

There have been reports that you were not the first actor who was approached for the role?

I was surprised to know from director Lijo Jose Pellissery that it was narrated to certain other actors who didn't do it for their own reasons.

Frankly, I don't know why someone would say 'no' to it. The story is of a rare genre. Kathakali has never been blended in the commercial set up and it's an entirely new concept. Anyway, the film has done wonders for me as an actor.

But do you think that the general trend to associate Kathakali with offbeat films could have worked against its commercial acceptance?

I won't say it has affected negatively. Those who appreciate only commercial masala films or those who are there just for a no-logic, no-brains entertainer may not have found it belonging to their type.

Remember, celebrated films in the past like Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal, Thoovanathumbikal and the sorts were not really of the usual commercial genre but found acceptance then. Five years from now, people will talk more about Nayakan. I want people to watch it.

But the collections have been affected as there have been so many releases during the time when Nayakan released. When such a different concept is being introduced, it is natural that it will take time for the audiences to know about and accept it. As an actor, I am looking forward to do more of such roles.

In this year's big hit, Happy Husbands, you played a hardcore Casanova?

[Smiles] I find it satisfying as an actor. The roles in Happy Husbands and Nayakan were in entirely different moulds. While the former was a loud one, the latter was portrayed in a subtle way.

Let me tell you, among the two, it is tougher to perform a subtle character. Okay, making people laugh is not an easy task as well. Both the films have done wonders for me as an actor.

In the forthcoming Chekavar, you play a cop. What is the role about?

Yes, I play a police officer in Chekavar. This film has been made with the success formula that we have come across in certain films in the past. Chekavar, as per mythology, lives and even dies for others. He is soft spoken and works in a rural police station.

He doesn't believe in using force without a reason even against criminals. But after certain incidents, he gets transferred to the city. There he gets involved in an issue which involves certain big shots. The story takes a different turn from there.