Sudev Nair: My looks and outsider tag confines me to serious roles
With JioHotstar and Sony LIV successfully making inroads into the Malayalam OTT sphere, it is now ZEE5's turn as the platform debuts with Kammattam, a six-episode-long thriller series, inspired by real-life incidents. Sudev Nair headlines the show as police officer Antonio George, who is tasked with investigating a hit-and-run case that soon unravels into a larger scam.
Sudev, a graduate of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), made heads turn with a state-award-winning performance in his maiden Malayalam film, My Life Partner. However, despite showcasing flashes of his mettle in films like Anarkali, Ezra, Bheeshma Parvam, and Thuramukham, the actor's career is yet to properly take off.
In this conversation, Sudev cuts a picture of composure and clarity as we discuss his role in Kammattam and the possible reasons behind his tumultuous journey in the industry.
Excerpts
You're no novice to cop roles, yet what made you take up the role in Kammattam?
I think this is my fifth or sixth cop outing, which includes characters with both positive and negative shades. All these characters have been different with a purpose in the screenplay. Kammattam stood out with its realistic treatment as a police procedural. It has no dramatic embellishments, which means there are no crutches as an actor to rely on. The performance had to be real and interesting, which is a challenge. I had to constantly keep myself on check that I'm not mistaking casual for real. Casual is very uninteresting.
Being a trained actor, you might be inclined to add your own quirks to make a character more interesting. Did you have any such temptations in Kammattam?
Actors always have such temptations, but spicing it up is also the easy way out. We call it 'playing to the gallery'. Actors resort to it when they are incapable of being genuine and honest, or feel insecure that 'not doing anything' might make the performance look monotonous. I also had these insecurities and kept checking with the director. I was aware that the character might not work as intended if I purposely added something extra, but I also had to ensure the viewer doesn’t get bored. The fact is, if you are honest and true to the moment, you can make any character interesting.
The project was executed amidst a lot of constraints, with the entire shoot wrapped up in just eleven days. Were you bothered about the output quality?
Yes, though I loved the screenplay, I was concerned about executing it in such a short span. Not that it's impossible, but it demands a lot of skill. After detailed discussions with the director (Shan Thulasidharan), I could sense his conviction and the meticulous planning he had in place for every possible scenario. Irrespective of sudden rains or any logistical issue that could hinder shooting, there was always a plan B. I also learned that you can adapt to any given situation if there's a backup plan.
In fact, the protagonist in Kammattam was originally supposed to be an older, down-and-out, but brilliant at his job. On the first day of shooting, I reached the set after gaining weight and putting on some greys and wrinkles. But looking at me, the director felt that we were purposely trying to mute my real characteristics. He instead felt it would be better to just enhance my personality, and immediately changed the character to be younger, dynamic, and stylish.
In a recent interview, director Shan also said the project demanded someone as energetic as you. What's the 'energy' he's talking about? Is it your flexibility in stunts or overall enthusiasm?
I think it's the sportsman mindset. This particular project demanded a lot of working hours. Though we shot for just 11 days, the number of hours we put in is equivalent to 20-25 days. We used to shoot for 16-18 hours, and at times, leading up to 24 hours. To sustain such strenuous schedules, you need a lead actor with great stamina and not be cranky, which can spoil the whole team's morale.
Although you've been around for a while, we see you in very few films in Malayalam. Is it just a lack of offers or a result of being choosy?
It's true that I've made some conscious decisions. I don't want to play characters trying to cash in on something that I've already done. If a character is written in a certain way that echoes previous performances, then an actor can't do anything to make it look different. The audience will also feel like, "This guy has already done this before." So I don't want to repeat myself.
I'm also deliberately trying to stay away from negative roles. Like every actor, I also eventually want to establish myself as a hero. It's never about the ego of wanting to be the hero, but the desire to gain the audience's affection and have them root for me as the protagonist.
Do you think the industry has not recognised you and still considers you an outsider because of your growing up years outside Kerala?
It's my responsibility and not the industry's to prove my worth. The industry is always looking for fresh talent whom they can bet their money on. There's no dearth of requirement, so it's up to me to present myself as the qualified person to fit in that role. If the industry feels I'm an outsider and can't fit into this milieu, then there's something lacking in me. I've identified some of it and have been eliminating them gradually, without sacrificing my individuality. For example, I won't change my looks and personality, which I now see as a USP rather than a drawback. Earlier, people used to talk a lot about my green eyes and advise me to keep a moustache to look like a typical Malayali, but I never believed in all that. To flourish here, you should either have luck, money, or enough time. I don't have the money or luck, so I'm investing time to get there.
You come across as a fun person in your social media posts, but have often been typecast in serious, brooding roles...
I desperately want to break out of that. In fact, I started off with comedy. Naseeruddin Shah, one of my acting coaches at the FTII, used to say that every actor begins by mimicking their favourite actor, and that's very true. I started off by mimicking Mr Bean. His slapstick comedy is what drew me to acting, and I did that for a long time. It's only because of the way I look and the 'outsider' tag you mentioned that has confined me to serious roles. The outsider is always the villain, and if you notice, I've done many roles where I'm the outsider who arrives in a territory. But since I've been here for so long, I'm no longer an outsider. That's why the time factor was important. If I play an outsider role now, it won't have the same impact.
You're also expanding to other languages, with films like Toxic lined up...
Toxic is the other extreme of the spectrum compared to Kammattam in terms of the budget and market potential. Toxic is huge in every sense, and with Yash headlining, it will get a massive reach. Bheeshma Parvam did that for me in Malayalam. Thanks to Mammukka, it fetched me a wider reach beyond the urban audience. Working with the likes of Rajeev Ravi and Geetu Mohandas is another advantage, as they push you beyond your comfort zone. And I’m constantly looking for fresher zones.
