Sudheesh must perhaps be the only actor who played a college boy for over 15 years. A child prodigy, his tryst with college began with the 1992 movie Aadhaaram, a streak that lasted till the 2009 Prithviraj-starrer Puthiya Mukham. Always putting up energetic acts, Sudheesh never seemed to age, both on and off screen, until his look in the upcoming movie Theevandi was out. In Theevandi, his makeover was so mind blowing that people had to look a second time to realise that the shoddy dressed, bald guy was actually Sudheesh. That he could look old comes as a hard-hitting fact.
Laughing, Sudheesh says the transformation surprised him too. “When director Fellini asked me to grow a beard for the character, I did it. To mask the greying beard, I got it dyed before going to the sets. But the makeup man made me older,” he recalls with a giggle.
Theevandi is a film about a chain smoker, portrayed by Tovino Thomas and Sudheesh plays his uncle. “My character is the one who introduces his nephew to smoking. The film shows Tovino’s four stages and therefore, mine too. So, I have four different get-ups,” he adds.
This role is something Sudheesh hasn’t tried before and therefore, he is excited. “In one word, you can call this ammavan a rogue. A man who is not serious about anything in life, he roams around with people much younger to him,” he says.
Sudheesh was in the team right from the discussion stage and together, they were looking for someone to play the uncle. “Every actor the team considered for the role appeared to be typecast in similar characters and they wanted a fresh face. It was then Fellini asked why I shouldn’t try,” explains Sudheesh on how it all began.
Playing a chain smoker was the most difficult part. “I have never smoked like this ever. Luckily, I didn’t get addicted to it,” he happily adds.
He is also glad he could grab a good role in a new-gen film. “I have always been part of the old school. Working with the current generation of filmmakers and actors was a different experience. It’s more of a realistic style of acting and I enjoyed it very much,” says the actor, who lives in Kozhikode with his wife Dhanya and children — class VII student Rudraksh and five-year-old Madhav.
Rudraksh, who had earned laurels for his role in Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho, was not seen much after the film. “That’s because we haven’t got good offers. We are waiting for it. If he is interested in pursuing acting, I would be glad to support him,” he concludes.
