Mollywood's most versatile

Fahadh Faasil continued to be one of the most sought-after actors in 2013. Sathyan Anthikad talks about the immensely talented actor and his commitment to his work.

As an actor, Fahadh Faasil is someone who mesmerises me! Since I have worked with his father Fazil, I have known him since he was a child in his school uniform but one would never have guessed that he is so talented.  In his second coming, every film has left me awestruck and he has bestowed multiple dimensions to every character he has played. He displays so much maturity as an actor that you want to work with him over and over again.

In Oru Indian Pranayakatha, Fahadh plays a young politician in a rustic milieu and if you notice Fahadh, in real life, he is the complete opposite of the reel character. He is this English speaking new-gen star, a star son, who has studied in a well-known school and was educated in America. But he effortlessly slipped into the mundu clad character of Siddharthan in the blink of an eye.

As a director, it is not only his acting prowess but also his also his professional code of conduct that impressed me. If the shooting is scheduled to start at 7 am, Fahadh would be on the sets by 6.55 am and there has never been a time when I have waited for him. Even if a star is a great actor, but is difficult to work with, there is no point in working with that person, but Fahadh is completely hassle free. He is involved with every aspect of the post-production and even present at re-recordings when he needn’t be there. For him, his commitment does not stop with acting his part and leaving, but is about complete involvement in the film he is a part of. Even in terms of dialogue delivery preparations, Fahadh surprises me; he  collects the script a day before and comes completely prepared the next day right up to the page number so there is never any need to prompt him.

For him, cinema is a passion and there exists a filmmaker inside him. You may think that he is a new-gen actor but I was surprised to know that he is very aware of all the old films and even knows the dialogues by heart. He completely stumped me there! Fahadh is also this actor who is not fussy and does not ask for a vanity van; he is happy with his small comforts and his privacy.

As told to Priya Sreekumar

The story so far

• Debuting in 2002 with the very forgettable Kaiyethum Doorathu, directed by his father, he went to America to pursue his studies there. He returned to acting in 2010, with a role in the anthology Kerala Café in the vignette 'Mrithyunjanam' and then went on to do films like Cocktail, Pramani and Tournament
• Chaappa Kurishu in 2011 was the turning point that made people sit up and take notice of the young star. He did small roles in Indian Rupee and Padmasree Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar
• Then came 2012 which showcased Fahadh’s ability to blend, slip and get into the skin of his character through the film 22 Female Kottayam. His grey shaded character was followed by Diamond Necklace and Friday
• He has about twelve films which released this year with his latest film Oru Indian Pranayakatha playing in theatres in which he is paired with Amala Paul, directed by Sathyan Anthikad. This year also saw him breaking new ground through Annayum Rasoolum,  Amen, Immanuel, 5 Sundarikal, Artist and 24 North Kaadam to name a few successful films