In the fight sequence between cop Prabhakaran Eerali and Sakhavu Krishnan in the political-thriller Sakhavu at a certain point, Binu Pappu is seen running with a clenched left fist held close to his chest. Only when Binu explains, the reason is known. An unfortunate accident during the shoot broke two of his rib bones with hairline fracture. “I had taken a painkiller for the sequence. The support of my palm made me comfortable. Everyone advised me to prioritise my health. It was my decision to proceed and not cause any delay from my part,” rewinds Binu.
So what? As Sakhavu runs to packed houses, Prabhakaran Eerali is being heaped with laurels head to toe. It was hard to believe he was enacting an angry young police officer and his older self. He was living before the camera instead. When asked whose voice we hear for the character. Amazingly, it is his. “No matter how consciously I speak Malayalam, a trace of Kozhikodan accent creeps in for sure. Sidhu (director Sidhartha Siva) upon listening, asked me ‘dude, why Kozhikode doesn’t leave you?’In my presence, he picked out my Kozhikodan words, corrected it and helped me adjust my modulation,” he says.
My biggest fear was that I was less experienced. He had been my confidence powerhouse,” narrates Binu. Interestingly, Binu first wanted to say no to the movie. This is why. It was on the sets of Guppy, where he was an assistant director, that he got a call to have a discussion with Sidhartha. “Just five more days were left for the Nagercoil leg of Guppy to pack up when a call came to meet the director in Ernakulam. I was all set to say no and go with Guppy. Director John and Dileesh Pothen were keen on me joining the movie and they pushed me in for the meeting.”
The face-to-face at Kochi had Sidhartha narrate the entire story to Binu. A volley of questions whirled inside his head. “He explained to me the Prabhakaran-Krishna Kumar sequence, proceeding to the Prabhakaran-Sakhavu Krishnan chemistry. He has a back story for every character, which does not come to play on screen. I don’t know where all my doubts had gone. At the end he asked me ‘aren’t we doing this?’ I said nothing but yes.” A 3-D visualiser by profession, Binu is off-roading crazy and has been a member of KTM Jeepers, a club in Kottayam. The adventures of acting and riding are nothing when he says he is being compared to his actor dad Kuthiravattam Pappu. “I was palm sweating on first day, first show. People want his son act in perfection to the dad who had 36 years and about 1,500 films in the industry. They are not to be blamed, the responsibility is upon me to do justice,” he reasons.
