Asif, the liberal-minded producer
Asif is currently at the sets of his next movie, Rajamma@Yahoo, at Kozhikode
By : shreejaya nair
Update: 2015-09-19 23:09 GMT
Though every film is special for an actor, Kohinoor, his next movie to hit the theatres, is even more so for Asif Ali as he dons the twin roles of being the lead actor and producer for the movie. The actor says he is more than happy to have picked up Kohinoor as his first production venture.
“To be honest, turning a producer did not need any tectonic shift in my approach towards films. But, the attachment I felt towards the project, as it is my own venture, was much more. Be it my own performance or that of the team, a tenacity that we must give the film our very best was always there. Since I was the producer, we never had to make any compromises and, despite trying to ensure cost-efficiency, there was never any pressure on the director. Every department in the film was given ample freedom. That was the whole idea behind my turning producer! To be able to create good films in an atmosphere that offered freedom,” says Asif.
Referring to his role in Kohinoor, he adds, “My character, Louise, is someone influenced by movies like Athirathram and Sagar Alias Jacky and in an attempt to get rich quickly, he gets involved in small crimes, teaming up with a few other youngsters who have the same mentality. The story takes place in the 80s and we explore the way of operation, the looks and lifestyle of that age and it was treated as a period film.”
How difficult was it to manage being an actor and producer during the shoot? “It felt like the most comfortable way of working for an actor. Not just me, all the actors had a much more comfortable shoot. Because I am familiar with both sides of the coin, everyone had a lot of freedom. There was this day when me, Aju, Indrettan (Indrajith Sukumaran), Chemban and Vinay, all of us had a lot of combination scenes to work on. By 5 pm, we were all extremely tired and Aju felt comfortable enough to come and tell me, ‘Let’s call it a day’. There was no tension or worry even when some of the scenes, scheduled to be shot in two days, extended to a four-day and five-day shoot,” explains Asif.
A regular presence at the sets of his films now is Junior Asif, Adam Ali. “He is just one and a half years old. He loves playing around with all my friends and having fun. So I bring him to the sets whenever possible. Since the first few months after he was born, he has been interacting with people outside the family and he is very comfortable even in the presence of a large crowd. My wish is to bring him into the acting field someday. That is unless he grows up and tells me he would rather be a doctor or engineer. In the end it’s his choice. But I do want to make him debut as a child actor, just not any time soon. Perhaps after he grows up a bit more,” he muses.
Asif is currently at the sets of his next movie, Rajamma@Yahoo, at Kozhikode. “Me (Vishnu Yohanna) and Chakochan, are brothers, orphaned by the death of our parents at a young age. We have been nicknamed as Rajamma and Yahoo by our friends. All that we have is a big house which we look at as a means of income. Another film that has been shot half way through is Adventures of Omanakuttan. It’s a movie that is completely based on romance. So I needed a pair I could easily find good chemistry with. So Bhavana as my co-star was a huge blessing as we are very comfortable working with each other. But the most interesting is Anuraga Karikkin Vellam directed by debutant Rahman Khalid, the brother of cinematographer Shyju Khalid, which will be produced by Prithvi's August Cinemas. I act as Biju chettan (Biju Menon)’s son in the film,” says Asif chuckling, himself amused at the combination.