In full throttle

Actors are truly blessed if they are remembered forever for a particular scene or dialogue. Thattathin Marayathu, the 2012-romantic flick directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, had a lot of endearing moments for the audience to cherish. Perhaps, one of the most prominent scenes was the one where comrade Manoj confronts Viswan at the party office. That scene defined the actor in Deepak Parambol and there has been no looking back since then. With over 20 movies and a wide range of characters, Deepak has established himself as one of the unswerving artistes in Malayalam.

Deepak’s next release will be debutant Vivek Aryan’s Ormayil Oru Sisiram. The title itself evokes nostalgia. A song from the movie complemented the title and Deepak was convincingly presented as a class XI student. With interesting and nostalgic visuals, the song became an instant hit and high hopes are pinned on the movie. “The character was the main attraction for me. My character Nithin has two getups in the movie. A change in look was essential for portraying the student, so I shed 10 kilos. When the first song was out, my look convinced the audience and I’m happy that my efforts succeeded. The script and the production house also attracted me to this project. Maqtro Pictures has produced movies like B.Tech, Sunday Holiday and C/O Saira Banu,” says Deepak.

Ormayil Oru Sisiram will also mark Deepak’s debut as a romantic hero. “I’ve played lead role in some movies, but this is the first time I’m doing a throughout love story. Doing the character was relatively easy. It was like revisiting student life and I believe that many will be able to relate to the character and the storyline. I had to work harder in romantic scenes,” he laughs.

The preproduction work of the movie had begun during the shooting of B.Tech. Director Vivek Aryan was an assistant to Jeethu Joseph. “I committed the movie once B.Tech was completed. Vivek is a director with whom we can easily cooperate. The movie is a result of his hard work and that will definitely reflect on screen.”

Anaswara Ponnambath plays the female lead in the movie. The cast also includes Basil Joseph, Eldho Mathew, Sam Sibin, James Devassy etc. Deepak is currently shooting for Anvar Sadik’s Manoharam, which reunites him with Vineeth Sreenivasan after Kunjiramayanam. The excitement is really evident in his voice. “As the title suggests, the movie will be a beautiful one. The movie is a light-hearted one. My character’s name is Rahul.”

Deepak’s latest releases were Ilayaraja and An International Local Story. Though Ilayaraja fetched great reviews, director Madhav Ramadasan had expressed his disappointment on Facebook over the audience’s reaction. “Madhav sir’s previous movies were well acclaimed. That attracted me to Ilayaraja and I’m really fortunate to have worked with a director like him. I acted as a chess coach in the movie, thus I spotted a serious look, too. The character was also an integral one in the movie. Regarding the response, I believe the audience are not patient enough to watch serious subjects in theatres. People just want to enjoy in theatres, and I feel they are inclined to humourous movies more. Probably, they wish to watch movies like Ilayaraja on television or laptop. I also feel lucky to have been a part of Harisree Ashokan’s debut directorial, An International Local Story.”

For him, the character and the script always matter. He’s never affected by the success-failure aspects of the movies. “I committed Ottamuri Velicham after Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu because of the character and the genuine approach of the team impressed me. I was neither bothered by the commercial success of the film nor awards. The movie was so genuine. Whether it is hero, villain or any another character, my job is to give 100 per cent to the role I’m entrusted with.”

It’s been seven years since Thattathin Marayathu, and Deepak feels his career has been a successful one. “My screen time in Malarvadi Arts Club was hardly two minutes. From there, I did many character roles and lead roles, and now I have Ormayil Oru Sisiram. I believe that my career has had a steady growth. It is always good to take small steps and move forward, so that the base will be strong. Now, I’m looking forward to the release of Ormayil Oru Sisiram. It is a romantic comedy that will be enjoyed by the audience in theatres. Anyways, we hope for the best,” he signs off