Meet the new oldie 

In the early 90s, he was the blue-eyed-boy of Malayalam soaps. Later, the handsome actor graduated to films and was seen in countless supporting roles, including a couple of hardcore villains. Often dubbed as the 'evergreen youngster', Krishna Kumar can't stop gushing about his role in the upcoming Shikkari Shambu. Reason? He will sport grey for the first time in a career spanning almost three decades.

“There was a talk in the industry that I cannot pull off elderly characters. Even after much younger actors started doing such roles and my daughter Ahaana made her leading debut, there wasn't any change in that notion. There were even trolls calling me 'pavapettavarude Mammootty'. But I have always wanted to play an old man on screen and I am quite excited about this character,” says the actor.
 
Krishna Kumar seems all upbeat about breaking his three-decade-old image, making his switch to senior roles. He will be seen as Vasu, an aged forest ranger in Sugeeth's Shikkari Shambu, starring Kunchako Boban in the lead. “In the film, I have two getups and in one of them, I appear as a 70-year-old. He is a very serious character, a father whose son is killed by a leopard.” He adds even director Sugeeth was initially doubtful about casting him, “but then he saw a picture from the film Mohanlal in which I have a slightly older look.” He says he has a performance-oriented role in the comedy thriller. “I am keeping my fingers crossed for its release.”

The actor says he is indebted to make-up artist Rasheed Kozhikode for his natural-looking transformation. “It's actually a total makeover, but it doesn't look artificial at all. Each day he spent nearly two hours with me to do my makeup. Most of the shooting was inside a forest and there were no proper roads. A lot of people came forward to help me as they thought the 'old man' may not be able to walk or climb the steps. And after a couple of days, I started feeling like an old man,” he laughs.

Apart from Shikkari Shambu and Mohanlal, the actor is presently busy with three Tamil projects. “I play villain roles in all the three. But after Shikkari Shambu I hope to get more senior or father roles,” he says.