It has been long 13 years since Ente Veedu Appuvintem released, but the chubby child actor who played Vasudev is still etched in the memory of every cine-goer. Save for the occasional family photo along with his famous parents Jayaram and Parvathy, Kalidas chose to stay away from films and concentrate on his education. When he did make an appearance years later at a film award function and in a national ad, the plump boy was nowhere in sight. Instead a handsome man with a winning smile and expressive eyes made everyone sit up and take notice.
Kollywood, ever on the lookout for fresh faces, was quick to capitalise on his talent and looks and signed him up for two Tamil films Oru Pakka Kathai and Meen Kuzhambum Mann Paanaiyum. And now, Kalidas is stepping onto home turf through a Malayalam film to be directed by Abrid Shine. The friendship with Abrid was one of the reasons that had Kalidas nodding his assent for the Malayalam project. He says, “Actually I was looking for a good project in Malayalam and I did not want to sign any random film just for the sake of doing a film.”
Kalidas with his father Jayaram
“I know Abrid for nearly 10 years and he used to click my photos when I was small. We do not have an actor-director relationship but a deep friendship. Abrid always used to advise me not to take too long a time to return to Mollywood since there are a lot of heroes in my age group. Three months back, he called and narrated a script and I really loved it.” Kalidas has another important reason for foraying into Malayalam, “Whenever I post photos on social media, everyone wants to know about my return to Malayalam. This film is my answer and gratitude to my fans who have loved me and my family for 25 years!”
The film is a campus story and Kalidas can only divulge that it is not the usual campus romance, but would be focusing more on the life of a college student. After signing on the dotted line, Kalidas shared the project details with his parents who were only too happy to see him return to Mollywood. As pointed out by Abrid, Mollywood is besieged with newcomers and established actors. So what does Kalidas feel about the heightened competition? Completely nonchalant about competition, Kalidas puts premium on his own sweat and toil.
Kalidas’ prime objective is to act in a clutch of movies that he can remember for the rest of his life. He adds, “My aim is not to overtake anybody and neither am I in a position to be pitted against talented and established actors so early in my career.” Without any doubt, it would be his parents who would be best qualified to advise him on the career front, but Kalidas reveals that there is another person he relies on for advice — Mammootty! He states, “I am very close to Mammooty uncle and he gives me advice on how the industry works and how to shape my career. I find the time I spend with him to be very productive and I get to learn a lot of new things apart from the movies.”
The proud son is also very happy about his father’s elevation as the Captain of the Kerala Badminton team and mentions that Jayaram is a very good player who is very passionate about the game and carries his badminton gear everywhere. We all know about Jayaram’s love for elephants, travelling and photography. Kalidas too shares these interests but he has a private obsession — cars! He divulges, “I am an obsessive car enthusiast and I am very particular about the upkeep of my cars at home. Also wherever there is a car show in any part of the world, you will find me there! I prefer to drive my own cars and that is a great source of relaxation for me!”
Fitness is the new mantra in every industry and Kalidas’s transformation from fat to fit has been praiseworthy. It took one year for the actor to achieve the transformation. He continues, “I am not someone who believes in the six-pack fad. But I do believe in being physically fit irrespective of the job you are in, be it films or a desk job. I was obese and when I decided to reduce my weight, I stayed away from all social media for a year. I reduced 40 kg and then when I appeared at the award function with my new look, the surprise element worked in my favour.” The lad is throwing up surprises at every curve and he has some projects he is considering.
