Dileesh Pothan: Having a writer by my side is comforting

In the buildup to the messy climax fight in Dileesh Pothan's directorial debut Maheshinte Prathikaram, the protagonist Mahesh Bhavana asks his assaulter Jimson, "health okke okay ale?". That's exactly what I wanted to ask Dileesh after watching his latest release, O.Baby. The Ranjan Pramod directorial has Dileesh rolling over rocky terrains to pull off raw and dangerous action scenes. "Health is okay now (laughs). But I was at my fittest during O.Baby. There was a 6-8 month-long preparation period as the character demanded me to be physically strong. Things were all fine until the climax fight's shoot. With just two more days left to wrap up the film, I broke my leg and had to be on rest for nearly three months," recalls Dileesh with a wry smile. 

But all the pain seems to have finally borne fruits as Dileesh's performance in the titular role has widely been lauded. Despite being at his self-effacing best, the actor-director elaborates on his acting process and the excitement of working with a like-minded filmmaker.

Excerpts

Earlier while speaking with us, Ranjan Pramod spoke about how this project wouldn't have happened if not for your trust. Where did that trust come from?

I've huge respect for Ranjan sir and his works. It was after working with him in Rakshadhikari Baiju that I became serious about acting. Though it was a brief role, it gave me a big break—not in terms of my performance getting noticed, but how it influenced me personally. While watching it again during the pandemic, I felt like calling him to enquire why he didn't do a film after that. That conversation initiated several discussions for the next few months and at some point, we landed on this idea. My trust was in Ranjan Pramod, the writer-director, and not the project.

Ranjan Pramod is known to be a fluid filmmaker like you, in terms of developing the narrative on the go and on-set improvisations. Does this similar approach make it easy for you to work together?

It's definitely a comfort because it's a technique I'm familiar with. More than that, Ranjan sir has a clear understanding of the medium and its possibilities. I'm particularly impressed with the way he moulds his actors and extracts the best out of them. I believe it's because he develops deep layers for each character. You can see that with the quality of performances in his films.

Speaking of performances, many have rated this as your career best. What's your personal assessment?

After a film's release, I respect whatever the audience's response is. So if they say this is my career best, it must be true. For an actor to display his potential, it's important that they get a full-fledged character. This is easily my most rounded character to date, and I believe I've done a pretty good job at it.

Baby is a complex character lost somewhere between loyalty and servitude. How did you ease into him?

As someone who lives in this society and is aware of what's happening around me, I could understand Baby and his psyche. Moreover, there were clear inputs from Ranjan sir. But it was only during the shooting that I identified and got to know him better. The character's mental state is evolving, and with each scene, I felt like I was getting closer to him. That's a process I really enjoyed.

Could you walk us through the filming of the emotionally charged scene between Baby and Valya Muthalali just before the interval?

I can explain what happened before the shot, but not during the shot because I still don't know how it transpired. It's the most crucial scene in the film, so whenever it came into discussion, there was a sense of fear growing in me. As per my request, we shot that particular scene only a few days after I became familiar with the character. Ranjan sir composed the scene in such a way that the camera mostly favoured me. I wasn't instructed to cry but somehow during the shot, I got extremely emotional and shed tears. Sir was delighted with how the scene turned out and retained it in the film as such. Though we did go for a couple of more takes, I think he went ahead with the first take.

Baby goes through a lot of such emotions that you might not have done earlier in any film. Like the action...

Yes, that's why I believe this is the most full-fledged character I've been offered yet. The fights in this film had to be raw and violent. We didn't want it to look choreographed, and Unni Perumal guided us with a basic design. It was a challenging terrain to perform such stunts, but we still gave it our all.

Your previous directorial, Joji, was also set in a similar sprawling plantation area (rubber instead of cardamom). Did you pick any new lessons from Ranjan as to how to effectively explore such a landscape?

Absolutely, but I don't know how to point out what exactly I learnt as it's a subconscious process. I was with Ranjan sir right from the development process of O.Baby, then almost 60 days of shooting and another 30-odd days of post-production. All these days of being together and sharing ideas have helped me immensely. As a filmmaker, that's what excites me about acting—the experience of working with senior directors, watching them up close, and learning their craft. Each filmmaker has a different vision and execution, and they all have influenced me in one way or the other.

Since you're a filmmaker yourself, do you ever feel tempted to give creative suggestions while acting?

I think you don't necessarily have to be a filmmaker to share your creative input. Even if you're just a small part of the film, you would want to see it turn out well. So I always ensure that I share my thoughts and concerns, but the key is not to force them on anyone. It's up to them whether to consider it or not. In that sense, Ranjan sir is a very receptive person who is all ears for suggestions.

Is Dileesh Pothan, the actor, snatching a lot of time away from Dileesh Pothan, the filmmaker?

Not really. Even while I'm busy with my acting commitments, I'm constantly in discussions for my directorial ventures. Syam (Pushkaran) and I are now working on something, and we hope to get it materialised by next year.

Any plans to venture into scripting?

I would love to script a film, but I'm sure I won't be directing it. I prefer directing someone else's script. It's because I need someone to constantly bounce ideas and have discussions with. Having a writer by my side is comforting.