An astute businessman will never miss a chance to cash in on an opportunity. When Dubai-based Nikesh Ram saw the Malayalam film Cocktail, his keen business eye spotted the scope for a remake. So he, along with some friends, started a production company after procuring the remake rights and entrusted the direction rights of the film titled Athithi to Tamil director Bharathan. The director wanted an unknown face to play the role of Jayasurya in the original. Auditions were conducted but no actor fit the bill till, over a cup of coffee, Bharathan popped the question to Nikesh. “I was caught unawares because I had no acting experience but I said yes, did an audition and was selected. That is how an accidental actor was born,” laughs Nikesh.
The ‘accident’ happened five more times and he played the lead in two other Tamil films too. If you thought Nikesh is a Tamilian, then you are wrong. Nikesh is a Malayali with roots in Kannur and at long last, he has debuted in Mollywood through National Award-winning director Suveeran’s film Mazhayathu. Talking about how the chance came by, Nikesh says, “Suveeran was in search of someone who was from the industry but not too well-known — the reason being there was an element of suspense in the film. He approached my production company after seeing my films and narrated the story to my production team. I understood that it was a semi-commercial film with no fights or dance and was a family movie with a relevant social message.”
Shedding light on his role, Nikesh explains, “I play the father to a 13-year-old. The film is about a father-daughter relationship and the role of social media when fake news gets circulated and the implications of it on society and family.” For Nikesh this was a challenge not only in terms of the character but also because he was working with experienced people like Suveeran and co-star Aparna Gopinath. But he had nothing to fear as he soon found out Suveeran and the entire team were very helpful.
His experience with Mollywood has left a sweet taste in his mouth and he makes a comparison between the industries, though he adds that he has miles to go in his acting career. “Tamil films put a huge emphasis on entertainment value whereas Malayalam is all about reality. The industry size too differs — Kollywood is huge as compared to Mollywood,” he says. Nikesh still dreams of producing good films along with managing his business in Dubai. He has his priorities right when he says, “In between if I get good work I will do it. But acting will not be a career.”
