D' sweet smell of success

The small house located in Ooty looked the same — yes, the greenery was more vivid and perhaps a few coats of paint had been added over the past 34 years. The house was old but the memories of the past three decades associated with the house were still fresh and came flooding back to actor Rahman’s mind. This house was the location of his debut 1983 film Koodevide and that which he was visiting for the first time with his friends — those same friends who had stood outside the gates and watched their classmate take his baby steps in Mollywood and who had even accused him of becoming a tad arrogant.

Rahman walks down memory lane, “I had been to Ooty on a couple of occasions but I never thought of visiting this house. This time, I was attending an Old Students meet and my friends started talking about those days and I got nostalgic and decided to visit the house. Unfortunately it was locked and I could not go inside.” Reminiscing he adds, “This was where I said my first dialogues to Mammootty; where I get angry at him. I remember the claps I got from the director; that is how my career took off.” Koodevide was the launch pad of a young boy, who saw his career reach dizzying heights, sharing screen space with the A-listers in Mollywood and going on to become a teenage heart throb. Rahman was a vibrant presence in Mollywood for 10 years and then took a break to move to other languages. He encountered a mixed bag of luck and had his share of troughs and crests.

But that dizzying taste of success is his to savour once again after the mega success of his Tamil film Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru in which he plays the cop Deepak. It is Rahman’s solo lead role in many years and he is absolutely thrilled with the success of the film directed by the 22-year-old newbie Karthik Narein. Rahman reveals that he almost did not do this film in which he completely slipped into the skin of Deepak, “Karthik came to see me on an Onam day and I thought he was the assistant director. He wanted just half an hour of my time for a narration but it lasted two hours. When Karthik mentioned a cop role, I immediately told him that I was done with cop roles.” But the narration changed his perception,” I saw the potential and in subsequent sittings I understood how serious this man was about his craft. All his technicians knew their work and answered all my doubts.”

The house in Ooty

Rahman is ecstatic that the film was a hit in Tamil, Kannada and has also moved to Telugu. He gushes, “It has turned out to be the best movie of my career and I don’t know if I will ever get a role like this again!” The film was also a learning experience for the handsome actor who felt like he was back in college and the only drawback was — “there were no women to speak to,” he quips. An actor who has worked with  debutants across the industries, Rahman says, “I may have set an example but yes, I have also burnt my fingers with newcomers. There are films which have stalled or had directors changed midway.” Largely unaffected by his stardom, Rahman has a very refreshing candor.

He reasons, “I have seen the ups and  downs of tinsel town but when it comes to my craft, good cinema mesmerises me. I have gone through rough patches in my career like everyone else and am happy for that. I have learnt a lot. I have seen the heights of stardom at a young age but did not take my profession seriously. My downs have even made me sit in my car and cry! Right now, I am happy with what I have.” Rahman has worked with acclaimed directors  and  considers that a big blessing. Acting was an accident, he says, but a predestined one. Dedication and hard work are what he brings to each film and is also not one to seek directors for roles. He talks about the younger generation, “Most of my acting behaviour is old school and I can see the differences when I am acting with the present generation of actors. Their attitude and body language are totally different. The way they greet or behave in front of us seniors is different from my time. But technological advancements and making methods have undergone a sea change for the good.”

Time to unwind is very crucial to Rahman and he does that by playing snooker. He quips, “I am happy when a shoot gets cancelled so that I can go back to snooker which I play seriously. I am also in front of the computer for hours editing.” He reveals, “I am also writing and there is a script ready which I had planned to direct. But right now my film commitments are keeping me busy.” The phenomenal success of D16 has him slightly wary about signing new projects without careful consideration. He has been getting offers from Malayalam but is biding his time.