Askar Ali made an interesting foray into cinema with Honey Bee 2.5, a rom-com set entirely in the shooting location of his brother Asif Ali's film, Honey Bee 2: Celebrations. It had Askar in the role of a naive youth who overcomes numerous hurdles to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor. While Askar's real journey hasn't been as tough and desperate as his character's, his passion for acting has remained the same. It has been nine years since his debut, but Askar finds it hard to believe that the clock ticked so fast. "I've not been able to wrap my head around the fact that it has been almost a decade. I still consider myself a fresher — eager and passionate as ever."

Fair point, because Askar hasn’t done a lot of films. Only five in nine years. His sixth film Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu, described as a mix of mystery, fantasy, and horror elements, is up for release tomorrow. Directed by debutant Jithu Satheesan Mangalathu, with whom Askar has been friends for a long time, the film is an extension of the director's hit short film, Sambhavam. "Jithu and I have known each other for a while now, and we have been discussing a few subjects. After the short film went viral (over 2.5 million views on YouTube), a producer came forward enquiring about the possibility of extending it into a feature film. Jithu was just kind enough to consider me for it," says Askar.

A fan of such experiments, especially in the thriller and mystery genres, he recalls visualising the entire film during Jithu's narration itself. “The script had it all covered, including the shot divisions. As an actor, I just had to follow Jithu’s instructions.” Further expressing his confidence in the project, he adds, "It's a fresh and unique idea, something we haven't experimented with here before in Malayalam. Personally, I'm also excited about playing a 'throughout lead role', which I have rarely done."

Askar, though, is reticent about his character, except for sharing that he plays a police constable. Incidentally, his last outing, J.S.K – Janaki V v/s State of Kerala, also featured him as a constable. "It's purely coincidental," he chuckles. "Apart from the khakis, both the characters are extremely different, with the role in Sambhavam... offering me scope to explore spaces that I haven't tapped before."

Besides Askar, Sambhavam... also stars Vineeth Kumar, Sidharth Bharathan, Assim Jamal, and Senthil Krishna in important roles. Apart from his "healthy rapport with seniors", Askar fondly remembers the shooting experience in the forests. He feels the minimal external distraction in the woods helped him stay focused on the character. "We shot for around 28 days in the Dhoni forests in Palakkad. We would start shooting in the morning and pack up by around five in the evening as the light goes down early. Fresh air, the calm atmosphere, absence of network coverage... all of it made it such a memorable experience."

Growing up, Askar wasn’t as passionate and informed about cinema as his brother. He recalls films as "some sort of magic" before Asif started wielding the wand himself. "Ikka started doing films when I was in 10th grade. Up until then, I believed cinema was made only within close circles. Of course, like every other kid, I was also attracted by the glitz and glamour of it, but it was always a distant world."

Admittedly influenced by his brother, Askar moved to Chennai, where he enrolled for an acting course at the Mindscreen Film Institute, headed by ace cinematographer and filmmaker Rajiv Menon. "I was initially very excited about the course, but I should admit that I hardly attended those classes. I was mostly assisting my friends who were doing ad films, just to get familiar with the process of filmmaking and how sets function."

Having closely followed his brother's journey, Askar didn't have to look far for inspiration. There were soaring highs, agonising lows, and everything in between. But Asif persisted, with Askar by his side as a curious observer. "We don't discuss films a lot, but I do observe how he listens to scripts, the kind of projects he picks, and how he has been selective of late. There has been a remarkable change in his approach now, and I have no qualms in admitting that I try to copy him." However, Asif is not one to advise. "Ikka never interferes in my projects or script selection. He believes that you judge better only with experience, regardless of the failures."

Askar, who is currently working on the Saiju Kurup-led thriller Aaram, is optimistic about the journey ahead, even if not everything has fallen in place so far. "Over the years, I've realised my weak points as an actor and tried to work on them, like dubbing, for instance. Those around me say I've become mature, with filmmakers also appreciating the improvement in certain areas. All that is encouraging. Since I don't know anything else apart from acting, I would do everything in my capacity to work hard and better myself."