Indrans' journey has been all about desire. At the Karuppu audio launch, Suriya praised the actor, highlighting his background as a tailor and costume designer and his long journey in cinema. He spoke about Indrans' evolution, from an actor who faced body shaming while being relegated to small roles in ensemble comedies to one who now makes his presence felt with lead characters. He also discussed Indrans' hunger and passion for learning, underscoring how his Karuppu co-star wanted to complete seventh standard recently.
Addressing his early struggles, Indrans says, “I belong to a generation that does not get easily offended by body shaming. The current generation is more conscious of it, which is not a bad thing. People feel sad about it when they do not recognise their strengths well enough. I have been called many names to identify my characters in films, but it has also made people laugh. This has made me realise that my appearance is my strength as well.”
Throughout his career, Indrans has played characters with great recall value, whether they are small or big, thanks mainly to the distinctiveness he brings to these roles with his quirks. Think Ponnappan in Mannar Mathai Speaking, Gafoor in Spadikam, Krishnankutty in Kalyana Sowgandhikam, and more recently, PP Sasi in the Aadu franchise. Karuppu brings him back to Tamil cinema after 2012’s Nanban, Shankar's remake of 3 Idiots, featuring him in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. This lack of ego drives his career choices, as he continues to balance marquee projects with nuanced supporting roles, some of which have made him viral.
Long before he became an online sensation, Indrans was known for something virtually unimaginable in the digital age: his preference for public transport. The social media generation may not know about his legendary train travels. It made the headlines when he once boarded a general compartment in a passenger train. “Even today, I travel by train to the set. Sometimes, I talk to the TTE and find empty compartments. People would hardly recognise me in public back in those days. However, they recognise me a lot more today and come around for selfies. When at the station, I hide my face with a cap to ensure that there is no chaos, but when I board the train, I do not mind revealing my identity to my fellow passengers, and their recognition delights me.”
Indrans says that the post-COVID popularity of Malayalam cinema contributed greatly to this greater recognition. That is when he started getting solid lead characters in films, such as Home, which earned him a National Award, and Aashaan.
His train travels serve as a testament to the fact that Indrans interacts with the public with no vanity or ego. Interestingly, he says that today's film personalities do not have the same freedom as he and his late contemporaries, such as Mala Aravindan and Innocent. “We had great fun on and off the set. I think today's generation may not have the privilege to have such experiences. They retreat into their tiny little worlds, although they are all immensely talented in terms of writing and other creative pursuits. We do have a lot to learn from them, but they cannot be free birds like us actors of a certain vintage. I guess this is purely because of the change in times.”
Speaking of which, despite the growth in stature over the years, Indrans has still not forgotten his roots. Take his small role in Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot, opposite Mohanlal, for instance. “I still want to act with a talented team and big artists. Further, the makers of such films assure me that the roles have an importance in the story. That said, I still get roles with greater prominence. For example, one of my upcoming projects is a multilingual film from Mini Studio, titled Ananthan Kaadu, scripted by Murali Gopi and co-starring Arya. I also have an upcoming Tamil-Malayalam film titled Chinna Chinna Aasai, co-starring Madhoo.”
The makers of Ananthan Kaadu are yet to call Indrans for dubbing, although team Karuppu granted his request to dub his portions himself. Speaking of his experience working with Suriya on the film, he says, “I usually stay away from such big stars on set out of sheer respect, and they all ask me why I do this. Suriya sir is no different. He is such a respectful and loving person. When he sees me on set, he would come running towards me. It is a delight to act with him too. His expressions make scenes engaging even without any dialogues, and his presence brings a renewed spirit to his co-stars.”
On the other hand, recalling his experience collaborating with RJ Balaji, Indrans shares, “He is quite energetic and keeps everyone alive and buzzing on set even while shooting intense sequences. He would also bring out the best in us and appreciate us when he likes our performance.”
While Balaji has mentioned that he only has a cameo in Karuppu, Indrans clarifies, saying, “His character has importance, and I have combination scenes with him.”
Indrans' credits in Tamil also include Aadum Koothu, writer-director TV Chandran's 2006 film. He attributes his sparse filmography in Tamil to linguistic challenges and a demanding schedule in Malayalam. “We can do justice to the character only if we know the language really well. Otherwise, we will not be able to deliver the right expressions, even when there are no lines to speak. Further, they take time to shoot films in Tamil and operate more peacefully than over here. So I cannot just run back and forth for films in both industries. After all, even if it is a small character that can make an impact in Malayalam, why should I go elsewhere? Ambili (Jagathy Sreekumar) chettan has also told me the same,” the actor explains.
Indrans, however, does not think twice when choosing characters that make fun of politicians, such as the one in Aadu. Clips of the character are doing the rounds on social media. “Everyone on set showed me those videos. When doing such films, I would never expect the characters to trend on social media. I only wanted to do full justice to the roles. Further, our audience really enjoys such humour. However, I was a tad scared of how politicians would respond to my Aadu character, especially when the team told me that politicians facilitated the shoot. So I only moved my lips during the shoot and said the dialogues in the dubbing stage.”
The actor also recalls an incident where MM Mani approached him at an event and appreciated his performance as Sasi in Aadu, a character inspired by the real-life politician. “Our audience has that quality about them. No matter what we do in films, they take it in the right spirit and appreciate it,” Indrans laughs as he recalls the warm interaction with Mani.
The actor is also looking for author-backed characters with a soul that make audiences forget his appearance. “I like such characters, regardless of whether they are heroes or antagonists,” he reveals.
With projects like Khalifa alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran and Kaalante Thankakudam with Indrajith Sukumaran on the horizon, Indrans continues to prove that his depth of talent matches his 'strength of appearance'. Yet, despite the growing recognition and the national accolades, he remains committed to exploring the simplicity of train travels and the pure joy of the craft. It is a fitting trajectory for an actor who, much like the iconic song his next film is named after, continues to find satisfaction from ‘chinna chinna aasai’ (small small desire).