While the obsession for cinema along with a fire in the belly to pursue that dream is what drives most actors to find success, one cannot discount another important factor, which is Lady Luck. Often luck can be about being in the right place at the right time or else it could take the form of a person who can give an actor a nudge in the right direction or recommend him to the right people. In Krishna Kumar’s case, it was a technician’s good words that had him being considered and finally confirmed for a role in the Sugeeth-directed Shikkari Shambu.
Krishna Kumar explains, but for that he has to talk about his character first. “I play Ranger Vasu, who is 60 years old. There is also a flashback where I play a young man who was very active and energetic till misfortune befalls him. He lives in a village.”
It is from here that Krishna Kumar explains how the role came to him.
“I give full credit for my makeover to makeup man Rasheed Kozhikode. I had worked with him earlier in the film Mohanlal but he reminded me that he had started off his career applying makeup on me many years ago when I was still working in TV serials. That was something I did not recall. Then one day out of curiosity I asked Sugeeth’s wife Saritha, who is also the costumer of the film, on why they had zeroed in on me to play the old character, which is when Saritha revealed that it was Rasheed who had recommended my name after working in Mohanlal.” That incident touched Krishna Kumar deeply.
By now, many would be curious to know what role he plays in Mohanlal. He answers, “I play Manju Warrier’s father in the film but the novelty of the role is that I appear as a photo and get to act through the photo.” He lets on that he accepted the role since the film had a class sense of humour. In addition to this film, he also has the Mammootty-starrer Parole where he plays a jailer who is sympathetic to Mammootty’s character. This is a prominent role in a film that is shot totally in a jail. After that is the Pramod Mohan-directed film Oraayiram Kinakkalaal, where he plays a dead body.
Krishna Kumar shares a humorous thought. “I don’t know the reason but in 90% of my films, I die. Just last year most of my characters in films were killed off. But in Oraayiram Kinakkalaal, I not only die but also get to play a dead body.” He has four films each in Malayalam and Tamil.
The actor, who has been a part of Kollywood films like Billa II, Deivathirumagal, Mugamoodi, etc. has Kanal Kaalam, Maya Valai, Laali, and Moonara to look forward to.
Krishna Kumar is happy that he is getting work. “What is most important is that I am being called for roles. To me the role size is immaterial — visibility is what is important.”
