Onam Special: Fahadh Faasil talks on his success

Fahadh Faasil is the man of the season. He is the most talented among the young actors who are trying to fill in the space slowly being vacated by Mohanlal and Mammootty.

Fahadh Faasil was launched by his father, ace director Fazil, in the 2002 film Kaiyethum Doorathu. The film sank without a trace and he was written off rather unkindly.

Three years ago he made a comeback with a small role in the 10-film anthology, Kerala Cafe. Since then he has carved out a niche for himself with superb performances in the hugely successful films Chappa Kurishu, 22 Female Kottayam, Diamond Necklace and last week's release, Friday.

Recently he also won the Kerala state award for the second best actor for his performances in Akam and Chappa Kurishu.

In this interview, Fahadh Faasil talks about his newfound success.

Did you expect this kind of acceptance after you made your comeback in films?

No. But then, I am not affected or carried away by successes and failures. I think everything is temporary.

What was your reaction when you got the state award for the second best actor?

I was with Sameer Thahir, who directed Chappa Kurishu. I asked him, now that I had won the state award, would there be a ceremonial firing in my honour when I die? 

He told me that it was given only if I had won the National award (laughs).

Jokes apart, awards are not my aim. It certainly is a kind of motivation. I have now realised the importance of a state award and it has been a pleasant surprise.

What do you feel when being called a 'new generation hero'?

Frankly, I am not at all affected by all these epithets. I want to entertain viewers as much as possible.

I like to do things that I am personally aware of and that my directors want me to do.

Are you moving away from the commercial masala entertainers?

I would like to do movies of all genres. I would like to look funny on screen, doing comedy.

I believe that my film Diamond Necklace was a commercial venture.

If I am being selective, it is just that I am waiting for the right roles to come to me.

Do you think there has been a certain change in Malayalam cinema from the days when you were launched as a hero in Kaiyethum Doorathu?

In fact, those who come to me still say they don't find me as someone who did that film.

I think the psyche of the audience is the same. It is just that now the directors are not looking for big or established names and instead they are going for the right casting.

Like, during the making of Chappa Kurishu, Sameer would walk around, interact with people, and cast some of them to get a real feel for the scenes.

Acting has become more easy and comfortable now. The important thing is the change in the attitude of the filmmakers.

There is a change in how we are doing things now. People have started liking that basic change in the narrative. I think there is still scope to experiment and I am trying to explore it in a lot of ways.

Do you have plans to try your luck in other languages as well?    

I don't speak any language other than Malayalam and English.

There were plans to make Chappa Kurishu in Hindi, but then Sameer started thinking about doing something new here itself.

It has been alleged that your films like Chappa Kurishu and 22 Female Kottayam have been inspired by other language films.

With all honesty, I haven't seen Hand phone (which is believed to be the inspiration for Chappa Kurishu). But even then, I am sure that the emotions are completely different.

The graph of the character that moves from the zenith of arrogance to the downfall excited me. I have seen lots of people going through all that.

You play the unglamorous role of an auto driver in the recently released Friday.

I wanted to be a part of Friday even though when its makers came to me with the storyline, they hadn't included me in the original cast.

I am playing a brief role of an auto rickshaw driver in the film.

What are your forthcoming projects?

Currently I am doing Rajeev Ravi's Annayum Rasoolum in which my character is a car driver.

I am also doing a film with Shyama Prasad.