Everyone from Prithviraj to ordinary viewers are calling it Neeraj Madhav’s career best role. And they might just be on to something there for Oru Mexican Aparatha was as much Neeraj’s movie as it was its hero Tovino Thomas’. Neeraj played the role of Subhash, a student political activist, out to raise the flag of his party in a politically-charged campus in Kerala and showcased the serious side of his histrionic skills.
“ Oru Mexican Aparatha was a non-traditional set. It was experimental and a refreshingly new experience for all of us. Eschewing the script, Tom Emmatty, the director, wanted us to improvise as much as possible, to capture raw emotions and reactions. It was shot in natural light. Only for certain important scenes did Tom reveal the dialogues and that too, often, only to a select few in the scene. Also, there was no hierarchy on set and actors were encouraged to spend time on the set itself and not in their caravans,” says Neeraj.
Even as appreciation floods in for the role and the film, the twinkle-toed actor, who turned choreographer with the song Enne Thallendammava from Oru Vadakkan Selfie back in 2015, is beginning another new innings in Malayalam cinema. He’s turning scriptwriter with the movie Lava Kusha , which is being directed by Gireesh of Nee Ko Nja Cha -fame.
“I’m an accidental actor. I never set out to be one for it was always directing and scriptwriting that I found more interesting. While in school in Kozhikode and later in college, I used to write short stories in Malayalam, some of which got published in a popular weekly magazine,” says Neeraj. He’s an alumnus of the School of Drama, Thrissur, where he studied directing.
Neeraj himself stars in the lead in Lava Kusha, as Lava, to Aju Varghese’s Kusha.
“It’s a spy comedy,” he reveals, after a little cajoling. Sleuths a la Dasan and Vijayan? “No way! I wouldn’t dream of aiming to be them; they are reel legends. My idea was a fun story that both Aju and I can play to our strengths and do our best. I wrote the script with both of us in mind. This is our seventh or eighth movie together. We last worked together in Adi Kapyare Kootamani last year . We share a good rapport on screen and we’re besties off screen too. It’s been a long time since we had a investigative comedy in Malayalam cinema and this is a fun film,” says Neeraj. Biju Menon’s also got a plum role in the film and the second schedule will begin as soon as he joins the sets. “There is a kuthu song, composed by Gopi Sunder, in the film,” he adds.
That’s not all. 2017 will also see Neeraj turn lead actor. He’s starring in the film Pippinchottile Pranayam , to be directed by newcomer Domin D’Silva. The project will go live in April. ‘“It’s a romance with a bit of social activism,” says Neeraj, not in the least bothered by the expectations and responsibilities of shouldering a film by himself. “It’s time,” he says. Indeed.
