Game of survival

Survivalnna ennaannu theriyumma? (Do you know what survival means?) Posing this question is actor Rahman’s uber-stylish character Damodar in the teaser of the film Ranam-Detroit Crossing. And the answer is also there, “t’s not the strongest or the most intelligent, but those who best manage change,” and this is called Damodar’s Law of Survival. Strip away the character and it might as well be Rahman speaking. For he is one of the few actors who have best managed and adapted to change, reinventing himself in the process.

Having ridden the highest of crests and sunk in the deepest of troughs, Rahman has always pulled through thanks to his willingness to manage change be it his scripts or outlook to cinema. He has proved that change is the only constant through his characters, Damodar being the latest a grey character he has not attempted so far.

Rahman admits that it took a lot of convincing from director Nirmal Sachdev to finally sign on the dotted line, “Nirmal is somebody who has a solid film background and the technical crew comprises largely talented foreigners. Nirmal was adamant that I play Damodar since he felt only I could do justice to the character. I have never portrayed such a character in Malayalam, though this statement may sound clichéd. When Nirmal explained the depth of the character, I thought to myself that I should take this up as a challenge. Here was an anti-hero with a dark history and has his own reasons for all his acts,” he says.

Rehman

Ranam, he says, is a fight between Prithviraj and him. Rahman is candid enough to admit to a slight apprehension regarding the audience perception before he signed. “Every artiste has an audience connect which works only if they are able to relate to the character. I have tried to make sure that the characters I play in Malayalam are experimental, as in Traffic, Bachelor’s Party, Mumbai Police… I want to be a part of good films which give prominence to my character.”  

Rahman plays a Sri Lankan Tamil who has lost his loved ones to a massacre and then flees to the US where he chooses a life of crime to survive, turning into a gang lord, breaking laws and then making his own. Decoding Damodar and the prepping he undertook for the role, the actor elaborates, “I started preparing for Damodar while flying to Atlanta (where the location of the film was). I had a lot of references; thanks to the English films I watch. So I tried to pull in references from here and there and tried to maintain that for my character. Of course, I also listened to Nirmal’s input and tried to infuse as much of reality into the character as possible.” What finally materialises on screen is a suave, good-looking don who is a wounded soldier, but is surprisingly calm person who has seen his share of ups and downs in life.

The camaraderie with Prithviraj has been one based on mutual respect and the sync between them can be traced to their earlier collaboration Mumbai Police. Rahman lets on a secret, “Actually Damodar was a role Prithviraj opted to do first.” He stops and continues, “Prithviraj knows his job and does it good; so do I! That’s where the respect factor comes in. We have a relationship where we read each other through our silences.”

The film, he opines, gave him a different exposure since the major part was shot in the US. The technical crew consisting of foreigners had a working style that was a revelation to him. “The style there is totally unconventional from I was used to. The film was shot from all angles and the best was chosen. Minimum lights were used for the shoot too,” he mentions adding that each and every scene was announced to everyone around. “For example, if I was walking to pick up a gun, the assistant director would announce to all around ‘Mr. Damodar is walking to pick up his gun’. I found that very different,” he expresses.

The shooting happened in Georgia - a calm and quiet place. Rahman shares his off-camera experiences and what he misses about the place, “There is a huge three-storey multi-gym which has sports accessories, game courts, swimming pool and dance classes. That was heaven for Prithvi and me; what we both miss the most is the gym.” Every weekend was free which gave him time to shop and party. “We celebrated Prithvi’s birthday there and it gave me a lot of memories to cherish.”

Coming back to the present after a reverie, Rahman counts himself lucky that he is still approached by a lot many newcomers with fresh scripts which give him the luxury to choose.

On the upcoming space odyssey Telugu film directed by The Ghazi Attack-fame Sankalp Reddy, he says, “This again is a totally fresh theme.” Most of the newcomers, he feels in spite of having no film connections, do their homework so well that the narration itself hooks an actor in. He also understands their prime concern of getting access to an actor and so, ensures that he meets and listens to as many newcomers as he can. “I do not keep them waiting,” he says.

The current phase is keeping him happy, but Rahman rues the fact that he keeps getting stereotyped with police characters which makes him disappointed. In the upcoming Tamil film 7 too, he plays a police officer.

The family man that Rahman is, his voice softens when he talks of his eldest daughter Rushda, who has been getting film offers and is a die- hard fan of Dulquer Salmaan. A protective dad, he says, “I do not want her to upset her studies since she is doing her MBA. She has zero experience of movies and acting. I am concerned about her future and have nothing against movies. But I want my daughters to get good education - something which I could not do, so that they earn respect in society. If any good offer comes, then I have no problem in her acting.”