From Freddy to Surendran: Anil P Nedumangad

In a corner outside the Kairali Theatre complex in Thiruvananthapuram, stood Anil P. Nedumangad, chatting with a couple of friends. He had come to watch short films and documentaries made by friends for the ninth International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala. He looks like he did in the first few scenes of the recently released Kammattipadam, where he plays the beloved Surendran Ashan. Black hair, black beard.

Somewhere in between, the character changes, in expression and appearance. Towards the end, he is semi bald, there's gray all over his head, and he looks loathsome Anil the actor has also changed. He is not anymore the same man since his first movie Njan Steve Lopez, with the same director, the same ‘Rajeevettan’.

Back then it was through friends in theatre he had met Rajeev Ravi and became Uncle Freddy to Farhaan Faasil’s character Steve. That had been a long dream coming true, ever since he climbed his first stage in school to be an actor. There’s been a Malayalam degree and three years in the Thrissur School of Drama, a television stint and many plays after that.

When he rejoined Rajeev’s team for Kammattipadam after two years, Anil found in the sets the old comforts and camaraderie. “That comes in Rajeevettan’s sets. It’s all your friends and there are all the jokes we share. You won’t even feel like you are working. Even though Rajeevettan takes cinema very seriously, he is a very simple and flexible man,” he says.

If Uncle Freddy had a few impactful scenes, Surendran Ashan has a role that comes and goes throughout the movie, a very powerful character. Anil had grown through several characters in between the two movies, some of his latest being the Kutchi and Hindi speaking policeman in Ayal Njan Alla, acting also in the critically acclaimed Munroethuruthu and Pavada.

All the film work has temporarily slowed down his theatre work. He was last seen in the play Irakalodu Mathramalla Samsarikkendathu, playing a politician in one of the six segments of the work focussing on women’s issues. There are still more movies happening — Gold Coins, Samarpanam and Kismat.