Askar Ali maintains a happy tone throughout the conversation. He is indeed in a happy mood as Jeem Boom Bhaa, his fourth movie after Honey Bee 2.5, chembarathipoo and Kamuki, is all set to hit the screens, and Njan Kanda Superman, a fantasy movie, has just been announced. “I cannot reveal much about Njan Kanda Superman. All I can say is that it belongs to the comedy-fantasy genre,” says the actor, an Ironman fan. Laughing at the irony, he adds, “Our family has become fans of Ironman due to my ikka’s (Asif Ali) son. He is a great fan of that character, and we all naturally fell for him.”
So, is he playing the superman in the movie? “I have never said that I play superman in that movie,” he clears the air. “Neither have I said that the movie has Superman as a character. That is suspense,” he chuckles. “The story came from our friends’ circle. Jeem Boom Bhaa’s director (Rahul Ramachandran) scripts Njan Kanda Superman. We are all friends. So, it can be said that the movie was born among us,” he says. “Our main hobby is to discuss story ideas, even during shooting intervals. This idea, too, originated like that,” adds the actor, who is equally excited about his character Basil Kanjikuzhy in Jeem Boom Bhaa. “He is a fun-loving, mischievous Kottayam achayan, and is the leader of their friends group — a character I could relate much.
The story happens in a day, precisely on a New Year night. They are caught up in a problem, but not those cliché problems you come across in movies. How they escape from it forms the crux of the movie,” he says.
It was, in fact, the third story Rahul narrated to Askar. “All three were good ones. One was an extreme thriller, which I told him I was not sure of executing it though I liked the thread much,” he smiles. However, they kept on discussing stories. “One day, Rahul told me that he had decided to do a small-budget movie with new faces. Then, I asked him why I was not included. I told him I am also a new face and expressed my desire to be a part of the project,” he explains. Askar says the 30-day shooting was like a vacation. “There was a rapport among us throughout the shooting.”
Unlike other artistes, Askar believes in working with new directors. “Because, there will be a space for discussion,” opines the actor, who entered movies following in the footsteps of his brother. “When ikka got into cinema, I realised that the industry is open to people without film background.” But, Askar didn’t seek his brother’s help to get a foothold. He studied film and, gradually, found his place. “People think it was easy for me to get an entry as my brother is here. But, it’s not like that. I work hard for a project and I take my decisions. I told him about Jeem Boom Bhaa just before the shooting started.”
And, he is well aware of the fact that there is so much to learn. “I know I have to improve my acting. I learn from each project.” At the same time, he does not hide the fact that he gets hurt by certain comments on social media. That is one reason why he is not active there. “I have read comments saying that I am expressionless and get roles because of my brother. Give me some time to prove my mettle,” he says. His character in Kamuki, a blind college-goer, was crticised by many for lack of expression. “That character did not demand to be too expressive,” he elucidates.
He believes Jeem Boom Bhaa will rewrite his career as Basil is entirely different from his previous portrayals. “It is actually a transformation for me. Most of the characters that came to me after Kamuki were similar ones. I was tired of doing humble and innocent characters. It was then Jeem Boom Bhaa happened. Basil is a street-smart guy with some naughtiness. I hope our audience will like him,” he concludes.
