In an exclusive conversation with IANS, talented actor Saiju Kurup delves into the making of his latest web series 'Jai Mahendran', shedding light on the inspiration behind his character and the show's gripping narrative.
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00:00As actors, we don't feel any difference because I have done short films, I have done movies, I have worked in two television serials.
00:17As actors, we don't feel any difference because everything is the same for us.
00:22The only difference is that the budget is very small. If we are doing movies, it will be a big budget. If we are doing web series, it will be a big budget.
00:30If we are doing short films, it will be a shoestring budget.
00:32In this shoestring budget, we won't be able to hire such big cameras.
00:36But if we are doing web series or movies, we can hire the latest updated version of big cameras.
00:43So, there are changes for the technicians.
00:49But for us, we are just acting. We are acting in short films and here as well.
00:55So, for us, everything is the same.
00:57But the happiness is that the web series is a little more wide because the budget is good and we get 3-3.5 hours of content.
01:09We can tell a story in such a short time. So, that is a good thing.
01:15So, for your character Mahendra, did you feel any challenge?
01:23It was just like the characters you have played.
01:27Yeah, because I don't do any homework for my characters.
01:35So, I never thought of doing homework and I don't have that much time to do it.
01:41Because I do back-to-back shoots.
01:43So, I did one movie shoot and after two days, I went to Jai Mahendran's location and started acting there.
01:49But I am a director and a writer's actor.
01:54So, I will do whatever he has asked me to do.
01:58So, if you take Jai Mahendran's script, it has all the details.
02:02What is the mood of this person in this particular scene?
02:06What was the previous scene of this scene?
02:08So, if a person comes and says something to me, how will he react?
02:13Or if I have a dialogue, how will I render it?
02:15So, these people guide us.
02:17So, that makes an actor's life very easy.
02:21I don't know if it's the same for everyone.
02:23But for me, my life became easy when writers and directors guide me.
02:28And I don't tell anyone how to do it.
02:32I observe them.
02:34When a director or a writer explains a scene,
02:37I observe them at that time.
02:40What is their body language?
02:42How to deliver the dialogue?
02:43Otherwise, I started doing characters in every movie.
02:48So, you will see Saiju Kuru in every movie.
02:51So, how to make Mahendran different?
02:53I wanted to make Mahendran different.
02:55For example, if a writer is available in the location,
03:00he will come and ask to explain the scene.
03:03So, he explained it to me.
03:05Or he asked the director to explain the scene.
03:08So, he explained it to me.
03:10I get a lot of non-Saiju Kuru things.
03:14If I did it myself, I wouldn't have included it.
03:20So, that's how I do it.
03:22So, for Jai Mahendran, I did the same for all the movies.
03:26I did it very open-mindedly.
03:28I did it without any work.
03:30I went to the location.
03:31You have to work a lot to go to the location.
03:33That's a different thing.
03:34But I didn't do any homework.
03:41I didn't unlearn anything.
03:43Whatever I have learnt, I have learnt it well.
03:47So, if I had learnt something bad,
03:49I would have had to unlearn it.
03:51But whatever I have tried to learn,
03:55or whatever I have learnt unknowingly,
03:57that were all very good things.
04:00And which would improve my career
04:03and improve my acting skills.
04:05I have learnt all this in all these years.
04:07So, I haven't unlearned anything.
04:10What was the most exciting moment for you?
04:15That was a very big excitement.
04:17As soon as the producer called me
04:19and told me that I have spoken to Suhasini Chechi.
04:22We call Didi Chechi here.
04:24So, that's why I am calling her Chechi.
04:26So, as soon as Suhasini Chechi got in,
04:29I was very excited.
04:31Because I started watching movies in the late 80s.
04:36At the same time, TV also came home.
04:38So, at that time, one of the top heroines
04:41was Suhasini Chechi in Malayalam and Tamil.
04:43So, when I used to watch Malayalam movies,
04:45I have seen her in many movies.
04:47So, I used to feel that she is a sister
04:49who lives next to me.
04:51Or she is like my mother.
04:53So, I used to feel like that.
04:55So, we have...
04:57grew up watching her movies.
05:00So, after that, when I came to know
05:02that I am going to share screen space with her,
05:04that excitement was very high.
05:07So, I liked it a lot.
05:09It was a very good experience.
05:11She is a very sober and good sister.
05:14And she was very supportive too.
05:17Yeah.
05:19And she did a good job too.
05:26She was the character of my first movie.
05:29In which, in the first half,
05:31I was in the negative shade.
05:33I was playing the hero in that movie.
05:35And in the second half,
05:37I was playing Mayukham.
05:39Mayukham means Suryakiran.
05:41That's what it means.
05:43In Sanskrit, it means Suryakiran.
05:45So, in the second half,
05:47I was playing a positive character.
05:49So, I feel that
05:51it is very difficult
05:53to find such a character in real life.
05:55And because
05:57she is very close to my heart.
05:59Because it was my debut movie.
06:01So, she is very close to my heart.
06:03When I was learning about the experiences of the movie,
06:07I was learning about the acting of the movie.
06:09I was learning about the location.
06:11I was learning about the filmmaking.
06:13I was learning about the track.
06:15I was learning about the jimmy jib.
06:17I was learning about the crane.
06:19I was learning all this.
06:21So, you will never get that experience.
06:23Because it is over for the first time.
06:25That's why she is very close to my heart.
06:27That character.
06:34There was a great filmmaker.
06:36Yesteryear filmmaker Vinayan sir.
06:38His son, Vishnu Vinay,
06:40is directing the film.
06:42And I had a movie
06:44which was released 1.5 years ago
06:46by Mahalikapuram.
06:48It was a huge blockbuster.
06:50Its writer, Abhilash Pillai,
06:52is also the writer of this movie.
06:54And I am playing
06:56a DYSP character.
06:58Deputy Superintendent of Police.
07:00Yeah.
07:02And the protagonist is being played
07:04by an actor called Arjun Ashokan.
07:06Arjun Ashokan.
07:08So, yeah.
07:10It is a crime thriller.
07:12You know about crime thrillers.
07:14If you say anything,
07:16the suspense goes away.
07:18So, I won't comment on it.
07:20But it is going to be released soon.
07:22The movie has been made very well.
07:24We are also keeping our fingers crossed.
07:26Let's see.
07:32The first attraction
07:34was Soni Liv.
07:36Because
07:38Soni Liv, I think,
07:40all the Malayalees
07:42follow her.
07:44Or the majority of people.
07:46In Kerala,
07:48Soni Liv is very popular.
07:50And I think in South India
07:52and everywhere,
07:54but I am talking about Kerala
07:56because we are talking about Malayalam web series.
07:58But here,
08:00if there is any content in Soni Liv,
08:02it will be good.
08:04This is the atmosphere here.
08:06So, I have a movie called
08:08Antakshari.
08:10Ayush, if you haven't seen it,
08:12do watch it on Soni Liv.
08:14It is a crime investigation thriller.
08:16It is a very good movie.
08:18There is a policeman
08:20who likes to play Antakshari.
08:22Okay.
08:24So, that's how the movie goes.
08:26Okay.
08:28So,
08:30Soni Liv is the
08:32first web series
08:34of Soni Liv.
08:36It is a big deal to act in
08:38Soni Liv's first web series.
08:40It is a big deal
08:42to act in Soni Liv's first web series.
08:44So,
08:46Rahul Rijin Nair,
08:48the writer of the web series
08:50and Srikanth Mohan.
08:52Rahul Rijin Nair is already a national award winning
08:54and state award winning director.
08:56His first AD
08:58is Srikanth Mohan.
09:00So, these two people are coming
09:02for this web series.
09:04I have already done a movie with them.
09:06I think it was in 2017 or 2018.
09:08So, I have already done it.
09:10I have a lot of trust in that team.
09:12I have a lot of trust in that team.
09:14There was a plot of this movie.
09:16There was a plot of this movie.
09:18There was a plot of this movie.
09:20They had already told me about it.
09:22Then comes the big exciting news
09:24that Soni Liv is going to
09:26stream this.
09:28Wow!
09:3075% of the viewers
09:32were convinced.
09:3475% of the viewers were convinced.
09:36I already know them.
09:38I already know them.
09:40I have worked with them.
09:42I have seen their other movies.
09:44I have seen their other movies.
09:46There was no reason
09:48for me to say no.
09:50There was no reason for me to say no.
09:54There was no reason for me to say no.
09:58Basically,
10:00I don't have any particular genre.
10:02I can't watch this type of movie
10:04for my free time.
10:06I can't watch this type of movie
10:08for my free time.
10:10Everyone is interested in entertaining.
10:12Everyone is interested in entertaining.
10:14We can give entertainment
10:16in different emotions.
10:18You can make horror movies
10:20and entertain people.
10:22and they will get a thrill and when they come to the edge of the seat,
10:26you can entertain them like that. You can entertain them by making them cry.
10:31So, any emotion, ultimately we want to get entertainment.
10:37Now, you see, I don't know how many times I have seen my own style.
10:42I like such movies. I like movies like Baazigar or Dar.
10:50Now, I have seen Mirzapur. I have seen Mirzapur many times.
10:57So, it's not a particular genre. But if you get entertainment,
11:02then it's fine. Now, I have seen Animal. I liked Animal a lot.
11:05Although, there is a lot of violence in it.
11:09This is a movie. Watch it as a movie. Why are you taking it to heart?
11:13It's a movie. It's made for your entertainment.
11:19Watch it and get entertained.
11:21Otherwise, what do you say?
11:24No, he didn't do this. He didn't do that. It should have been like this.
11:27So, it doesn't matter.