Laughter in his genes

A startling resemblance is there between Zinil Zainuddin and his dad, the late actor Zainuddin, who always gave Malayalis a lot to laugh through his commendable roles. Following in the footsteps of his father, Zinil has already marked his presence in Mollywood, and his second movie Chennai Koottam released this month.

On the movie and his role, Zinil says, “It is the story of five engineering students who do their bit to earn some pocket money. My character’s name is Venki, who inadvertently gets into trouble for whatever he does. It is definitely a humour-based performance.”

Zinil had shared the screen space with Mohanlal in Laila O Laila. “Even though it was only one scene, people accepted my performance and didn’t compare me with my father,” says Zinil.

The actor is keen to establish himself without the tag of his father’s name. “The brand label of Zainuddin’s son is there, but I am aiming to create a space for myself,” says Zinil.

An IT professional by qualification, Zinil feels cinema completes his world. “How much I spend on food in a grand restaurant, what fills my stomach is the food I eat from a production location,” laughs Zinil.  To sustain his desire while waiting for new projects, Zinil works with an event management firm currently. “I like creative production. So I try to work with a talented and artistic team,” adds Zinil.

As several offers are streaming his way, Zinil waits to commit to a good project. “It doesn’t matter whether I get a small role in a big production, what matters is a satisfying role. I believe a story should have the capability to haunt me, where the viewer should feel ‘What is next’,” explains Zinil.

Having seen the world of cinema since childhood, Zinil says he doesn’t want to concentrate on acting alone. “Cinema is like my home, so there is no particular room allocated for me. I will be comfortable anywhere, whatever is offered to me, be it big or small. I believe my father will guide me, wherever I go,” concludes Zinil.