Veteran Malayalam actor Jalaja has spoken highly of Fahadh Faasil, praising the versatility and naturalness he brings to his performances. In a recent interaction with The New Indian Express, the actor said Fahadh’s ability to transform into completely different characters in each film is what makes him stand out among contemporary performers. Jalaja, who made a return to acting after nearly three decades with the Fahadh-starrer Malik, recalled her experience observing his work. In the film, written and directed by Mahesh Narayanan, she played Fahadh’s mother.
Speaking about his acting range, Jalaja noted that each of Fahadh’s performances feels distinct. Recalling her time as a jury member for the Kerala State Film Awards in 2014 and 2018, she said several of his films had come up for consideration when veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja chaired the panel. “Each film had a completely different character. If you look at five of Fahadh’s films, you won’t see the same Fahadh in all of them; you will see five different Fahadhs,” she said.
Referring to Fahadh’s lineage, Jalaja pointed out that he may have inherited his natural ease in front of the camera from his father, filmmaker Fazil. “In Fazil sir’s films, actors perform so naturally that they don’t even realise they are acting. Fahadh seems to have inherited that same quality,” she said. She also recalled a scene from the Tamil film Maamannan, in which Fahadh’s character kills dogs. Jalaja said the scene leaves viewers feeling genuinely angry at the character. “The reason we feel that anger is because Fahadh performs it so convincingly,” she added.
Jalaja was one of Malayalam cinema’s prominent actors from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. Known for her nuanced performances, she appeared in several acclaimed films, including Shalini Ente Koottukari, Elippathayam, Venal, Yavanika, Kariyilakkattu Pole and Alicinte Anveshanam. She won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1981 for her performance in Venal, directed by Lenin Rajendran. Over the years, she worked with some of the most celebrated filmmakers in Malayalam cinema, such as KG George, G Aravindan and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
Fahadh was last seen in Althaf Salim’s romantic comedy Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira, in which he starred opposite Kalyani Priyadarshan.