Look who's acting! Talented, pup-porting actors

Animals have been scene stealers since movies began. There are many classic films where animals have been among the biggest stars of their day. Mollywood too have a few films in which animals like elephants, dogs and birds have given some adorable performances that really make you think they understand something beyond their specific training. However, movie-buffs can now wait for a few more new charmers who are getting ready with their classic animal acting. Diana, Toby and Pinky are the new animal stars of M-town.

Eight-month-old golden retriever Diana had no clue about acting when director Rafi and the producer of the film Ringmaster found her at Vadakanjeri. Though she was a bit confused and hesitant to mingle with the new faces, Diana eventually became the smartest dog on the set. The movie, where Dileep acts as a dog-trainer, showcases more than 30 dogs.

The St. Bernard, Toby, who acts as Keerthy’s bodyguard in the film, and Liza are the other two dogs who play important roles in films. “Their performances sometimes leave you amazed. Maybe animals have a subtle kind of intelligence that allows them to understand emotions,” says Rafi.

However, the director says that unlike actors whom he could threaten with payment, for the shooting of Ringmaster, he had to depend on the moods of these special heroes. “We had to wait almost half a day to take a scene where Diana barks. If they decide that they won’t act, we will have to wait,” he smiles. He is now in love with animals and is all praise for their love and loyalty.

Rafi had hired two dog trainers to train and extract the best emotions and actions from these animal stars. According to Shankar Narayan Iyer, the 50-year-old Mumbai-based animal supplier and Tippu Rajeev, animal trainer from Vaikom, trainers need to have a lot of patience to grab the animal’s attention and earn their affection. Shankar has been supplying animals to Hollywood and Bollywood for more than 25 years. “The animals follow actions and sounds as signals and this can be only acquired through training. The smart ones will grasp quickly and for other, we will have to train more,” he says.

“We do not use sticks and punishments. It’s just a few tricks. Since Diana was Dileep’s dog in the film, I made her gel with him well,” says Tippu Rajeev. He boasts of having a huge collection of animals including horses, dogs, hens, ducks and doves, which have been a part of Malayalam films for the past 10 years.

Om Shanthi Oshana scriptwriter Midhun Mannuel Thomas, who is working on an experimental road movie, Aadu - Oru Beekara Jeevi Annu, where a young goat will be the central character, has already found his ‘pinky’. The debutant is planning to leave her free on the sets so that she will be used to the arc lights and cameras. Hats off to these smart animal performers and their masters!