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Aju Varghese plays Vaibhav Vydyanathan in director Arun Chandu’s sci-fi mockumentary Gaganachari. Vaibhav has a thing for women and is a former social media sensation, but he is forced to work as a cook for Victor Vasudevan Valaparambil (KB Ganesh Kumar) in a post-apocalyptic Kerala with an internet ban. It is an endeavour he does not fancy much, which paves the way to some of the film’s funniest moments. Like many of Aju’s characters in Malayalam cinema, there is a vibe to Vaibhav as well. It is perhaps no accident that he is nicknamed Vibe in the film. Aju spoke at length to CE about his character in Gaganachari, approach to comedy, experience working with director Arun, and much more.
Excerpts:
You have been part of many comedy films. But did you find it a challenge to do comedy in such a unique film that discusses heady concepts?
Generally, I do not try to understand the full film during the shoot. I ask for a general idea of my character from the makers, take it shot by shot, and continuously communicate with my directors. After all, a film is a director's baby, and for me to be an active part of its making, I should have been involved in the process from the word go. The director must have started the process a year or two before shoot, but I might come in a month into shoot, so there are limitations on how much I could contribute to the film. So I just focus on my part.
More than just contributions, a concept such as alien invasion causes some anxiety in the viewer, right? So was it challenging to maintain a balance between bringing anxiety and laughter to the viewer?
Yes, I was a tad concerned about whether the comedy would outweigh the other aspects of the film. I wondered whether it would be a bit too lighthearted and dramatic. It is a day and age where so-called overacting gets trolled quite a lot. So I kept thinking about how reviewers would respond to it (laughs). But I put full faith in my director, like always. I communicate with them whenever I have any doubts. I am very transparent that way. This is not to say that I do not bring anything of my own to the table. I also do that, but I leave it to my directors to decide what goes into and what to leave out of the final output. For example, at the end of Minnal Murali, my character Pothan looks at Tovino's titular character in a particular way. Director Basil Joseph took two takes for it, and I was presented with the second one while dubbing for it. I asked Basil whether it would make more sense to include the second take in the final version, and he graciously accepted it.
It seemed like you took a back seat and gave plenty of space for your co-stars to perform in Gaganchari. Was that a conscious effort on your part?
Yes, it was a deliberate decision. The thing with humour is that, as an actor, it always makes you wonder whether you are going overboard with it. So when in doubt, it is best to take a back seat and tone it down a little bit. This way, it will not negatively affect the scene, and the viewer will not find it distasteful. It also depends on the situation. With Gaganachari, only director Arun Chandu understands the screenplay completely. This being such a complex subject, there's only so much he could communicate during the shoot and despite his best efforts, I couldn't grasp it entirely. Even my co-star Anarkali Marikar is in the same boat as I am, but fortunately for her, she does not have any dialogues (laughs). Honestly, I did not know what the post-apocalyptic or dystopian era meant, as I am not big on science-fiction cinema. In fact, I am still learning something new while watching Gaganachari as part of its promotions.
Speaking of science fiction, Gaganachari presents an alien in human form and objectifies the character. Were you concerned about how a very sensitive section of the audience would respond to this aspect of the film? If you think along those lines, could you do justice to your role?
I didn't have to worry about it as the director and writer Siva Sai were very conscious of it. In fact, they are among the advocates for political correctness in cinema. I also agree with the current generation when they call out politically incorrect aspects of cinema, such as body shaming. Arun and Sai are crystal clear about how much is too much. They do not glorify or whitewash this aspect of my character.
At the time of its making, did you realise the true potential of the film?
We did it in 2021, after Covid and the second lockdown. It took a year and a half to complete the film's VFX work. The makers then sent it to many festivals, and it got around 25 awards on international circuits. Then, I told Arun half-jokingly that the film you made was something groundbreaking. He also realised its potential and ensured the film came out in theatres instead of the originally planned OTT release. The reception thereafter has been wonderful. We are grateful to the audience for their change in attitude towards Malayalam cinema. They kept correcting us and guiding us on the right path. They are largely responsible for the recent winds of change and the broader recognition for our cinema.
What are your future projects?
I have a guest role in Kerala Crime Files season 2. It is an extension of my character Manoj from the first season, but the new show has a different lead actor. I also play a ‘vasantham’ character called Pappan in the Disney+ Hotstar show Love Under Construction, alongside Neeraj Madhav and Gouri Kishan. I am also part of Tovino's Identity. In Tamil, I'm part of director Ram's film with Mirchi Shiva and Grace Antony, and Moon Walk which reunites Prabhudeva and AR Rahman after 25 years.
