The rule book (if one does exist in tinsel town) can fly out of the window for all Sunny Wayne cares. He abhors set patterns and prefers to remain almost elusive. Starting from the year 2012 when he debuted in Dulquer Salmaan’s launch vehicle Second Show to the present, the actor has acted in almost 25 films that are as eclectic as chalk and cheese. Character roles, cameos or the lead, Sunny prefers to do them all. But he is selective; simply because he is in no hurry, preferring to spend time on the things he is passionate about. He made a surprise announcement just recently when he decided to bankroll a theatre production titled Moment Just Before Death that is being staged at JT PAC at 7 pm today. Mollywood was, has and will always be home to powerful theatre artistes but there is no debating that the ilk is rapidly declining. Sunny’s move is one in the right direction to tilt the balance slightly and support an art form that needs an urgent shot in the arm.
The obvious question that has to be asked is why produce a play when the rest of his brethren are throwing their weight behind commercial films? Also, Sunny has no prior experience with theatre. “When I entered the industry, I was asked the question ‘why films after I completed my engineering?’ I did not have an answer then except for one phrase: my passion towards cinema,” he begins, mentioning that now he has a number of reasons for this particular transition to turning producer.
“Cinema is an art form. It was only when I immersed myself in the medium that I understood the various possibilities and range it afforded. Theatre has been there much before the advent of films. In fact, most of our veteran actors have a strong theatre background,” he says. Although, he adds, there are still actors with a stage background now, the numbers are few. Also, of late, theatre is not getting the importance it used to whereas in the golden days, theatre was deeply connected to art forms like music, poetry as well as politics and society. He says, “If political views had to be expressed, it was done through theatre.” So when playwright friend Liju Krishna discussed the theatre idea with him, Sunny listened as friends do.
That idea turned into collaboration soon. Liju and Sunny have a friendship that dates back to three years. They met first, got talking and exchanged views. Liju is an alumnus of the National School of Drama and a theatre actor. Sunny was immediately enamored by the theme of Liju’s play. Like the name hints, Moments Just Before Death pivots around an old man’s fragmented memories. The son of a toddy tapper, the old man reminiscences about the scent of toddy, reveries of love, the gruesome realities of life and about how death has been a constant throughout his life. At a moment in time, the old man makes it his life’s purpose to make a coffin to be buried in. Sunny adds, “This is a play that has been showcased in 10 national and international theatre festivals but not many in Kerala have seen this production. Also, I believe there are a lot of theatre aficionados in Kerala so a whole host of factors made me decide in favour of producing the play.”
The play has a duration of 75 minutes and follows a non-linear narrative mode. On stage will be Manoj Omen, Saran Mohan and Sidharth Varma with music composed by renowned music director Bijibal.
Sunny feels the lack of time and initiative are primarily responsible for the disregard theatre faces. He says, “The tech-driven social life of today is not what it was some decades back. I spoke to some yesteryear theatre actors and what they agree unanimously on is about missing the close-knit social life they shared. To them, art was intrinsically linked to the very earth they trod on and they revered it deeply.” Through this endeavour, Sunny hopes to bridge the gap between cinema and the stage.
From theatre to his acting career, Sunny states his criterion for roles is all about being different. He explains, “I look at a role from an audience’s point of view and wish that even after 10 years, the audience feels my role stood out. I avoid typecasting. I entered films through a character role and I had the luck of acting in some memorable character roles but there seems to be a dearth now.”
That dearth has been filled, thanks to his character role in the Mohanlal-Nivin Pauly-starrer Kayamkulam Kochunni but he does not want to reveal anything about the role, “All I can say is it is an interesting role after a very long time.” He also has French Viplavam in hand, which is set in the 1996 period. He plays a chef of a resort in this film He mentions, “It is a political satire shot in a very different technical manner.” He is no hurry. He staunchly says, “I am selective; I should not get bored as an actor and should get satisfaction from my roles. I need to do other things too. I am not here to conquer the world and am 100 per cent happy with the way my life is now.”
For those curious about Sunny’s life outside of cinema, he reveals his plans on a free day, “It all depends on my mood. I might meet my friends or sleep in. If I get 5-6 days, I will drive down to my hometown Wayanad. The 7-hour journey is one of the most beautiful drives in Kerala for me.” Right now, it is the start of another beautiful professional journey for Sunny.
