Joy Mathew has become an indispensable part of Malayalam films. He appears as an important character in every second film.
He has done 46 films in the last 16 months. That’s a terrific score for any actor, but it’s a special achievement for Joy as he made a comeback after 26 years!
He was the protagonist in the path breaking film Amma Ariyan (1986) directed by the legendary filmmaker, John Abraham.
In Njan, his latest film, directed by his friend Ranjith, which releases on September 19, he plays himself - Joy Mathew, a theatre director.
“It is one of the most complex roles I have played. As an actor, you are used to portraying other characters. You can pick up any mannerism or body language that suits the character. But to be yourself and not look pretentious is a difficult thing to do,” Joy Mathew said.
Shutter, the film he directed in 2012, was both a commercial and critical success. That year it won the Audience Prize at the International Film Festival of Kerala.
Joy did not expect his film to receive such an overwhelming response. “I knew I had made a good film, but I didn't expect people to throng the venue in such a manner,” he said.
He waited for all these years before acting in a film because “I wanted to make a film that a viewer would enjoy and could take back something from watching.”
He is against so-called 'art films' which the filmmaker claims he has made for self satisfaction or self discovery.
“An artist or a writer can boast about working for himself, but it would be highly irresponsible of a director to say such a thing as the sweat of many people is involved in realising his dream and he should respect that,” feels Joy.
Shutter is being remade in five other languages, including Assamese. The Marathi version helmed by V K Prakash with Sachin Khedekar in the lead will make it to the theatres later this month.
Joy’s acting career took off was Amen (2013) directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. He played Fr Ottaplackan, a character with negative shades.
“After Amen people started recognising me. It made me think that acting is better than direction,” he says with a chuckle.
Next was Rajeev Ravi’s Annayum Rasoolum, followed by a flood of films that continues flowing.
“I keep getting advice on the social media that I should be selective in accepting roles. But, as an actor, I get attracted to every role I'm offered. Who wants to make a bad film?” he questions. “Everyone wishes to make a good film, but how it will turn out is not in our hands.”
Joy is a political being and was active in politics as a student. He proudly says that he was jailed four times during his college days. He has dabbled in journalism too.
Today, he puts social media to good use to present his point of view and does not mind courting controversy.
“It isn't that I started having views because I've become a known face. With my background I'd have done the same thing wherever I was. The advantage of Facebook or social media is that there is no editor or someone to tell me to tone down my feelings,” he says with a smile.
The advent of the so called 'New Generation' cinema coincided with Joy Mathew's return to acting. He feels today’s young filmmakers are passionate and technically well equipped.
“Youngsters today are passionate about the craft of film making. They know everything about camera placements and they can shoot beautiful songs and can get fantastic frames.
“But they lack an individual view point or life experience so they just recycle the themes of nostalgia, love and such things.
“There are only a few films like 1983 or Philips and the Monkey Penthat feel relevant to the times we live in,” he says.
Joy reveals that there are a couple of themes that he would like to tackle as a director and he is writing a script for director Aneesh Anvar.
He is slowing down as an actor and is refusing new projects so that he can be free to direct by the beginning of next year.
