Saiju Kurup will be sporting a Veerappan-style moustache in his next

He is an actor who has coasted the troughs and the crests in his career with an unflinching equanimity. Starting off as a hero, Saiju Kurup has since played diverse roles, including the antagonist, a character artiste as well as guest appearances, and these roles have brought him back to the limelight. Along with portraying a range of characters, Saiju has also changed his looks to suit his characters. The film Valliyum Thetti Pulliyum Thetti has him sporting a huge Veerappan-style moustache that covers half his face.

Looks do matter a lot to the actor as he explains, “It is very important to keep the interest of the audience alive as they get bored easily. When I entered the industry, I did not think too much of changing my looks but I understood that a look in a film can be the signature style of an actor for that film and could lead to easier audience recall and also lead to a more authentic portrayal of my character.”

“On a lighter note, it can also take away the attention from small flaws in your acting!” he adds. Saiju plays a gang leader Bajrang, who considers himself a big time dada of a village in VTPT, and so the need for a big moustache, but he mentions that it is a comic role. 2015 has been a fruitful year for him professionally and personally. His son Aftab was born last year. “Professionally, I got some very noticeable characters and did around 10 films. I cannot take a stand and say that I will do only lead roles or prominent roles. I am open to even doing roles that have me in only two scenes but those scenes should be integral to the movie. If there is something different in my role, I will take it up,” he says.

Asked about his dream role, Saiju answers, “If you had asked me this five years back, I would have rattled off a list but now doing quality cinema is my dream.” But he lets on, “I will not get into direction but I definitely have dreams of producing a film. Direction demands a lot of time which I don’t have right now. My personal responsibilities as a father ,husband and son also keep me busy, so production seems a safer option.”

Saiju’s comfort in accepting all kinds of roles seem to keep the offers coming and 2016 looks promising. He has the upcoming Happy Wedding, which will see him in a flashy, loud and boastful avatar, speaking in Thrissur slang. Attempting the dialect was difficult, he says. “It was challenging and since director and team are from Thrissur, they helped me a lot with the nuances.” He also has Action Hero Biju, Altaf’s next with Nivin Pauly and Joshy Thomas’s next.