Not everyone is born a star; it takes years of hard work, patience and persistence to make a mark in the industry that is known to be fickle. Saiju Kurup has gone through his share of troughs and that has given him infinite wisdom. Though he debuted as the lead in Mayookham, he is now content to sit back and accept roles that he feels an instant connect with.
Saiju’s intuition has not been misplaced and he has been a part of some good projects in the last few years. The actor is as happy as a lark currently. The reason for his happiness is the audience acceptance of his character Dr Roy in Ann Maria Kalippilaanu. Saiju plays the father to a daughter in a story that has touched a chord with the audience because of its portrayal of real-life situations.
What made Saiju’s day are the comments that he does not seem to be acting, but living his role. Saiju explains, “This role was a cakewalk for me and I did not have to act since it had traces of the real me. Like Roy, I too love my family, am outspoken and take my job very seriously. I could relate to a lot of scenes. I also have a daughter so I just had to be myself to play this character.”
Known to experiment with his looks and his mannerisms, Saiju has taken on a never-before-seen salt-and-pepper look in Sajid Yahiya’s IDI. Elaborating on his character, Saiju says, “I play a hi-tech robber named Mr. X. I have a salt-and-pepper look and will be donning contact lenses that will render two different colours to my eyes.” Saiju will also be seen in a completely black costume throughout his appearance in the film.
Saiju has had the luck of acting in films helmed by debutants as well as veterans. He has played roles that have him in guest appearances as well as meaty roles, so one is curious to know his criteria for selecting roles. Saiju explains, “As an actor I cannot be choosy nor bothered about the genre of movies; I should be choosy about my characters. Every role I have done has satisfied me and I accept only those roles that I find I can do justice to. I have declined offers which I knew were not my cup of tea. I do not look at banners or my co-stars or the director; what is important to me is the script.” On his cards are films like Kolumittayi and an untitled film by Joshy Thomas along with some other unannounced projects.
