Others had an unusual beginning. While we’ll have to wait to see where the film’s story begins, the film itself took shape in a hospital corridor, filled with the hum of machines and the quiet anticipation of new life. Director Abin Hariharan, in what now feels like a poetic coincidence, chose a medical setting to narrate the story of a medical crime thriller to his lead actor. Recalling the first time she heard the story from Abin, Gouri G Kishan says, “His wife was pregnant, and he was there for a check-up. I offered to call him later, but he insisted on narrating it right then because many other heroines hadn’t returned his calls. Since he was at the hospital, he took multiple breaks, all coincidentally at cliffhanger moments. Every pause made me anxious to know what happened next, which kept me hooked." By the end of that 25-minute call, she was intrigued. But deciding to play Dr Madhumitha took more time for Gouri. “Later, we met in person and discussed the film for nearly three hours, as I had several doubts about my character,” she adds.
Apart from Gouri, Others stars Aditya Madhavan (in his lead debut) and Anju Kurian as police officers. Landing the role of a police officer is a coveted opportunity, but Aditya is grateful for something else. "After getting this film, I realised it’s a dream debut because of not just the character, but the director and actors I got to work with. I learnt so much from them since many were experienced artists," he reveals. But he didn't land this role that easily. Having done a few roles as a junior artist and worked as a technical assistant, Aditya still had to audition and face the fear of typecasting before getting this chance. "Before Others, I was auditioning for a variety of roles, but most people told me to focus on romantic films. There’s a stereotype that only actors around 28 get to do lead action roles. I wanted to break that idea and debut as a lead," says the actor, expressing his pride in breaking the convention.
Anju, who plays Aditya's cop partner Beena, explains that her character does not stick to the usual female police officer tropes. "She’s a sincere police officer who is both sensitive and bold, striking a perfect balance between the two," she says, describing her character. Having trained in mixed martial arts, Anju did have an edge when it came to performing in action scenes. But she says the role was demanding more mentally than physically. "I learnt that a criminal investigation has so many layers. Police officers are the first to reach the crime scene, and they have to deal with emotions, question suspects, and comfort victims’ families. It seems simple on paper, but it’s a very demanding job," she explains.
While she is more humble about the physical extravaganza of the role, Aditya is quick to jump in to hype her performance. He says, "I was jealous because she got such an amazing fight sequence. I even went to Abin sir and asked him for one too. I had my own share of such scenes, but nothing matched hers. Watching her performance on the monitor blew my mind, as she made it look so professional."
Gouri, who has often played quirky characters, even if it is only a love interest, reveals that she felt pressure essaying the role of a medical practitioner in Others. She shares, "I’ve mostly played characters with a profession, but this one was different because of how serious the role is. Many of the plot twists unfold through my character, and I felt a sense of responsibility since I was representing a medical practitioner on screen." Further, her character also has an ethical and moral dilemma in the film, which made it all the more challenging. She continues, "There’s a moral dilemma to my character because she’s part of the medical industry, but that doesn’t mean all doctors are bad. These nuances made her interesting to play." Despite the seriousness of the role and her nervousness to portray it aptly, it came with more than a few hilarious moments—at least for those around her. "On set, there were funny moments—like when I looked very serious while performing a surgery scene but accidentally used a syringe the wrong way, causing water to spurt everywhere. Everyone burst into laughter and joked that it’s a good thing I didn’t become a real doctor," she narrates with a hearty laugh.
Interestingly, both Anju and Gouri are actors who dabble in both the Malayalam and Tamil film industries. When asked about the difference between the two, Anju blurts out the first thing on her mind, "The only difference I notice between working in Kerala and Tamil Nadu is the food (laughs)." On deeper thought, she adds, "The shooting hours differ too, as we usually work longer hours in Malayalam cinema. Also, the Malayalam audience focuses purely on content, not on who’s starring in the film or how many projects they’ve done." Building on this, Gouri reiterates that women get better-written roles in Malayalam. "I get more realistic characters in Malayalam cinema. I try to choose similar roles in Tamil too. I don’t want to make sweeping statements that one industry is better than the other, but in Malayalam, women are often given more layered roles. I’ve never heard anyone say things like “Be cute” or “Act bubbly” on a Malayalam set," she explains.
Gouri previously said that she has started picking films that can sell themselves, rather than those that only satiate her creative thirst. Still, she decided to do Others, which is a small-scale film in terms of budget. The actor reasons, "I signed LIK before picking Others, so I knew I had a big-scale film coming up. But I also need films and roles that prove my acting range. I look for stories like Others that are content-driven. Audiences have certain expectations of me, but sometimes they praise performances that I personally didn’t find very creative. So, maintaining that balance is important."
Speaking about her character in LIK, Gouri says, "I play a character that no one has imagined me in until now. Vignesh sir wanted to break that image, and though I was a bit underconfident, I was pushed beyond my comfort zone." While Gouri also has a role in an upcoming Tamil web series, Anju awaits the release of a Tamil film with Prabhu Deva and two Malayalam films. Anju shares, "I have two Malayalam films—Whisky and another with Dhyan Sreenivasan, which is gearing up for release. I’m also waiting for Abraham Ozler 2 to begin. In Tamil, I’ve completed a film with Prabhu Deva master that’s awaiting release."
As for Aditya Madhavan, he has a heart full of hope and a head full of nervousness as his very first performance is hitting the big screens. He has no specific plans for his career going forward, with the aim to take up any project with good content that comes his way. Nonetheless, he has one criterion. "Whatever film I do, I want to surprise people to the point where they wonder if it’s really me in that role," he signs off.
