A serial sensation: Naveen Arakkal

Life does not always give you what you truly desire but ‘Plan B’ can sometimes be a life-changer. How lucky is the telly actor who had four of his serials running four different channels on any given day? While Naveen Arakkal has exited one serial, he still has three serials, which is no small feat.

Though he was part of commercial films like Mayamohini, Villali Veeran and Trivandrum Lodge — the latter movie saw him in the role of a body builder, he did not get any coveted roles. He also had some disheartening experiences after which Naveen decided to go the mini screen route. Naveen reveals, “I had a good role in Left Right Left where I played an independent negative character for the first time.”

“I was looking forward to that film to give me a break, but my role got chopped off at the editing table. That left me deeply saddened and from subsequent experiences, I realised that it is difficult to get a break in films. Also my connections were with the mini screen crew, so when the opportunity came, I used it!” That decision paid dividends when he was recently awarded the Best Actor in a Villain role at a Television Award Nite.

Naveen attempted comedy for the first time in the serial Ponnambili, went on to play the role of a toddy tapper in Vishudha Chavara Achan and a doctor in Anamika, but it is the role of the shrewd businessman Prakash Varma in Pranayam that stays close to his heart.

“Prakash has a lot of mannerisms, body language, thoughts and attitude of mine. I have a close affinity to the character that I sometimes feel that I am not acting. In fact, my mother and wife commented that my looks and the way I get angry mirror me in real life,” he says, adding, "Prakash is living in with his business rival’s wife and has a glad eye, but I am not like that!" Jokes apart, he mentions that he is going through a very content phase of life.

Asked about the popularity quotient of films versus serials, Naveen narrates an incident, “I was in a dubbing studio with a well-known film actor as well as a very popular hostess. Surprisingly, people recognised me and came running to me. The actor mentioned that he had never got the popularity I had. The reason could be that the audience hesitates to approach a film actor, but serial actors are perceived as one among them as we visit their homes every day; there is a certain familiarity.” However, Naveen mentions that he would love to act in films if a good role were to come his way.