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Nivin Pauly on his Kayamkulam Kochunni role

South Indian actor excited about his period film's release

The true success of an actor is when he steps outside his comfort zone and takes on a new challenge. For Malayalam superstar Nivin Pauly, playing the boy next door in the love/comedy genres has always been his forte since he made his debut in Malarvaadi Arts Club in 2010. With an enviable oeuvre including blockbuster hits such as Thattathin Marayathu, Neram, 1983, Ohm Shanthi Oshaana, Bangalore Days and Premam, the actor is now all set to reinvent himself in a period film based on the life and adventures of India's Robin Hood, Kayamkulam Kochunni, a notorious highwayman who thrived in Kerala during the early 19th century.
The eponymous film, which is currently playing in UAE theatres, required the young generation star to perform action sequences for which he had to learn horse riding and kalaripayattu (a martial art form). The actor prepared for the film in between shooting for Shyamaprasad's Hey Jude, in which he played an oddball character suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. 
Part of Kerala folklore
"After finishing Hey Jude, I only got a 5-day gap before starting shooting for this film. I trained in kalaripayattu and horse riding during the shooting of Hey Jude," Nivin told City Times during an exclusive interview in Dubai.
The magnum opus, rumoured to be the biggest Malayalam film ever made on a budget exceeding Rs400 million, is directed by Rosshan Andrrews, scripted by Bobby-Sanjay of Traffic fame and bankrolled by Gokulam Gopalan. The film, shot in locations across Sri Lanka, Mangalore and Kerala, has been in the making for almost three years. Of this, the director spent two years in pre-production alone, scouting for locations.
"Rosshan Sir is a brilliant director. He has prepared so much for this film. He has done pre-visualisation for almost all major scenes in this film. It was very clear to the cinematographer, action director and choreographer as to what had to be done for each scene," recalled Nivin.
Although a movie based on the famed robber's life was released in Malayalam in 1966 featuring the veteran actor Satyan, the director and scriptwriter were keen to introduce more fictional elements about the character.
"The character Kochunni is part of Kerala folklore and very familiar to all Malayalis. Though we have several books for reference, we wanted to make an entirely new story about Kochunni," Nivin told us.
Although the actor has earlier taken on roles with shades of grey such as in De Thadiya and English: An Autumn in London, he said there has been no attempt to glorify the vices of the protagonist in Andrrews' upcoming venture. "Some people look at him as a hero, some as a villain. He is a character with shades of grey. Circumstances made him a thief. This makes him resentful and want to take revenge. Although he is a benefactor and protector of the villagers, he targets the rich to help the poor," he explained.
The cast and crew of the film aspire for it to be as popular as Baahubali on a pan-India level. It is also reported to have bagged the most expensive overseas rights for a Malayalam film.
"We have done the best quality work in terms of cinematography, sound and music. All audiences across India will easily connect to the film since basic emotions are the same. Everyone can connect to the reason behind the protagonist turning into a thief, who was responsible for his transformation, his mentor, his love and married life, etc. Audiences from other languages will also love this film," commented Nivin.
Language no bar
With his Malayali colleague and star son Dulquer Salmaan making his Bollywood debut with the recently released Karwaan, it looks like most South Indian stars are transcending the boundaries of regional cinema. Prithiviraj Sukumaran had forayed into Bollywood earlier with Aiyyaa, Aurangzeb and Naam Shabana. Nivin too will be seen in a bilingual titled Moothon produced by Aanand L. Rai with dialogues written by Anurag Kashyap.
"It depends on each actor's perspective, whether they want to stick to one industry or not. I would love to explore other languages, besides Malayalam. I am open to receiving good offers from Tamil, Telugu and even Bollywood," shared Nivin, who played a thug in Gautham Ramachandran's Tamil film Richie last year. He had earlier made his Tamil debut with Neram and Premam, which set the cash registers ringing and earned Nivin a solid Tamil fan base as well.
Shooting for acting sequences in Kayamkulam Kochunni involved a lot of risky shots. "Injury is a part of shooting. I got injured twice during the making of this film. I fractured my ligament and sustained a tear. During a fight sequence with a foreigner, I got hit with a gun. We stopped the shoot for almost 40 days since it took time for the injury to heal," he added.
Besides, shooting in difficult locations also involved a lot of dangers. While shooting in Sri Lanka, the crew had to film in a crocodile-infested lake. "After my scene, I was told that the lake was infested with around 300 crocodiles. Right after the shot, I could see crocodiles swimming in the lake 20 metres away from me," recalled Nivin.
Another adventure ensued while filming in a forest infested with snakes. Chaos reigned during the filming of a scene where a snake was spotted while Nivin's character is tied up and being taken in a cage.
"A snake fell on one of my accomplices. He shook his hands and none of us were sure where the snake had disappeared. Everyone ran helter skelter and I was stuck in the cage. I was helpless since my hands and feet were tied. Everyone was scared and I panicked. Later, we heaved a sigh of relief when we saw the snake slithering up a tree. But, it was scary," the actor observed.
Director's actor
Sunny Wayne, who plays a police officer with shades of grey, told City Times that he was teaming up with Nivin after Thattathin Marayathu. "It's a powerful character and a good opportunity. I too practised kalaripayattu and horse riding for my character, named Keshavan. Kochunni is a historical hero and I am fortunate to be a part of this film," he said.
Sunny, who made his debut alongside Dulquer with Second Show in 2012 in a famous character called Kurudi, said he is a director's actor and followed Roshhan Andrrew's guidance to prepare for the role. "Such hard work will always pay off in one's career," he reckoned.
Endorsing his co-star, Nivin described Sunny's performance in the period film as "the best in his career so far".
The ensemble cast also includes Babu Anthony who plays Kochunni's mentor Thangal, Priya Anand, Shine Tom Chacko and Jude Anthany Joseph.       
Nivin, who has a lot of expectations riding on him with this flick, said every actor would love to be associated with a film made on such a grand scale. Typical of other period films, Kayamkulam Kochunni took a long span to be filmed - 161 days.
"Since this is a period film, everything from the village to the market had to be recreated. It was a very difficult task for the director and the art director to get a feel of the 1860s," said Nivin.
On how period films can appeal to a contemporary audience, the actor reckoned: "Whether it's a period film or a contemporary film, if you connect with the basic emotions of the audience, that's all that matters. Scripting plays a major part in connecting with the audience. Sanjay and Bobby [scriptwriters] have done that brilliantly. I am confident that people will love it."
Working with Mohanlal
Legendary actor Mohanlal has been roped in for an extended cameo in Kayamkulam Kochunni. He plays Ithikkara Pakki, a mentor to the protagonist. Nivin Pauly was effusive in his praise for Lal. Describing it as "the most beautiful experience in my career", he said the actor's professionalism on the sets was incomparable. Although Lal only shot for 12 days for the film, Nivin said younger co-stars like him could learn a lot of valuable lessons from the actor.
"For instance, after shooting for a song sequence, the crew had decided to pack up. But since there was daylight, Lalettan insisted we keep shooting. We also shot in very difficult terrain where it was hot and dusty. Whenever the rest of us would try to take rest, he would be keen and passionate to keep shooting," shared Nivin.
Future beckons
Nivin will next be seen in Mikhael, directed by Hanif Adeni. It is set for a Christmas release. "Since Kochunni was delayed, I did not do any movies in the interim for nine months. So, all other movies got pushed," the star clarified.
The actor is also busy shooting with Nayanthara for Dhyan Sreenivasan's Love Action Drama.
Nivin has always promoted new talent in the industry. On whether this did not pose any risks for a superstar, he retorted: "Although it's a risk to work with new directors, it's hard to say no when a good script comes my way. I don't just look at a director, I also look at the entire team: the sound designer, music director and cinematographer. Cinema is a team effort. We always try to have good technicians at the helm of every department in the movie."
Of the current crop of young superstars in the Malayalam industry, Nivin is the only outsider. In fact, he was a software engineer with an Indian IT company who quit his career to pursue his dreams. Wise selection of scripts has always paid off for this unassuming actor in his career spanning eight years.
"It's easy to get into the industry. The tougher part is to sustain your career. There will be several temptations. If you do 10 movies a year, you can make a lot of money. You need to set your priorities: money or a good career. We don't need to talk about ourselves, our movies should speak about us. The only way to do that is by choosing the right scripts," advised Nivin.
The actor had turned producer with his movie Action Hero Biju, however, he refuses to don the director's hat. "Only passionate and sincere directors have sustained in the industry. You will need to be away from family for really long durations. You need a lot of knowledge to be a director and I have a long way to go before I become one," he concluded.
deepthi@khaleejtimes.com