On Wednesday, a day after the National film awards jury awarded a Special Mention to Musthafa for his performance in Ain, the actor was given a reception at his native place – Chelari, near the University of Calicut in Malappuram district. It was scheduled for the evening as the organisers, daily-wage labourers mostly, had to return from work for the programme to begin.
Although he had come home on a short break from the shoot of Loham in which he assists director Ranjith, Musthafa was only happy to wait as those were the people who had witnessed the artiste in him floundering and flourishing through the years. They were his friends and fellow actors in innumerable plays he had directed or acted in before stepping into tinsel town.
His organic roots set Musthafa apart. Equipped with no degrees or acting school credentials, he draws energy from his strong theatre background to lend his characters a distinctive charm. Musthafa started his artistic journey while he was still at school. The first play he wrote and rehearsed for an arts club programme was not allowed on stage citing an “overdose of satire.” To compensate, he was given the role of a bandicoot in a play by adults. Prabhath, an alumnus of the School of Drama, gave him more lessons in the art form and thus began a long journey into the world of theatrics.
Musthafa’s television stint was made possible by a reality show. “I was active in theatre when my sister Sareena saw an advertisement inviting entries for ‘Best Actor,’ a talent show by a prominent channel to discover acting talents. She registered my name via SMS. I was one of the five finalists and it was an unforgettable experience,” he says. Actor-director Murali Menon, who was associated with ‘Best Actor,’ was a guiding light for Musthafa. He made his film debut with a small role in Doctor Patient, directed by Viswanathan.
“Later I met Ranjith and was selected to play the younger version of Barber Keshavan, enacted by Sreenivasan in Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakkolapathakathinte Katha . People still recognise me from the film,” Musthafa says. Many such movies followed: Malarvadi Arts Club, Veeraputhran, Isaac Newton Son of Philipose, Last Bench, Moly Aunty Rocks, Red Wine, Njaan… and now the national award for Ain , which was also adjudged the best Malayalam film.
“I definitely expected an award for the movie but never for the role,” says Musthafa, who runs a studio near Chelari. “It was a collective effort by a close-knit group of friends. Many of the discussions took place in theverandah at my home. Siddhartha Siva had a clear picture about the totality of the film and he left it to the artistes to improvise situations; it worked very well.” In Ain , Musthafa plays the ever helpful, happy-go-lucky Maanu, short for Muhammed Jalaluddin Rumi, though he is not aware of the significance of his name. The film is fleshed out of an incident Maanu witnesses and the subsequent developments.
“We finished the shoot in 20 days. Even my 14-day-old son Ryan is part of the cast,” beams Musthafa whose mobile phone hasn’t had a break since he bagged the award.
The actor is eager to explore all aspects of cinema. Hence his stint with Ranjith as an assistant director. The Other Side , a short film, written and directed by Musthafa, had won acclaim. He also cranked the camera for Just an Underwear that was screened at many short film festivals across the State.
