Two years ago, when Friday Review spoke to him, Aju Varghese had only started his adventures in Mollywood and had just a handful of noticeable roles as everybody’s favourite sidekick under his belt. Fast forward to the present and the diminutive actor has become such an integral part of Malayalam cinema (33 films and counting) that it’s hard to imagine a film without his quirky expressions, signature swagger and witty dialogues, adding comic relief to the main acts. Whether it is David Kanjaani in Ohm Santhi Oshaana , Paachan in Vellimonga , Vayalar Varkey in Peruchazhi or Romanch Ramakrishnan in the just released 100 Days of Love …each role of Aju’s was nothing short of spectacular.
Brushing off his success as “sheer luck” and, might we add, some good sense too, Aju says: “I am completely a director’s actor. I only do what’s there in the script and that too according to the specifications of the director. If my roles were great, then the whole credit goes to my directors and the scriptwriters who made the characters so great.”
He seems a bit strained that 2015 started off as a bit of a dampener, with three of his films – Mariyam Mukku , Aadu Oru Bheegara Jeeviaanu and Namaste Bali – not meeting “my expectations or that of the audience.”
That’s why 100 Days of Love , directed by newcomer Jenuse Mohammed, which was released last week, comes as a silver lining. Aju plays the role of a feature writer, who works for the same daily as Dulquer Salmaan, the star of the film. “Romanch is a bit of a geek and is constantly engaged in a battle of one-upmanship with Balan, Dulquer’s character. It’s a small role but a noticeable one nonetheless. It was my first time working with Dulquer, who I found to be very gentle and shy. Jenuse is a director who quickly puts you at ease; for me that is always a big draw. Though I only had a two-day shoot, on his set, it was as fun as working with Vineeth [Sreenivasan], Nivin [Pauly] or Vinay [Govind],” says Aju.
Then, working in debutant G. Prajith’s Oru Vadakkan Selfie (OVS), which is releasing today, must be like coming home…? “Truly! It’s always great fun when the Malarvadi Arts Club - Thattathin Marayathu - Ohm Shanthi Oshaana team get together. We bring out the best in each other. We entered the industry together and, all of us, actors and technicians alike, have managed to carve our own niche in Mollywood. From a friendship among bachelors, it has now expanded to include all our families too. Nivin’s son, Davidh, was the star of the set. It was Divya, Vineeth’s wife, who mostly looked after Davidh. Even my wife and twins came for a surprise visit on location in Thalassery and it was like a family party rather than a movie set,” he says, with a laugh.
Aju plays the role of Shaji, a shopkeeper, in OVS, which tells the tale of Umesh (Nivin) and Daisy (newcomer Manjima Mohan). “It’s completely Umesh and Daisy’s story. Don’t get any ideas; it’s not a love story and its nothing like Thattathin Marayathu . Myself, Neeraj Madhav [as childhood buddy Thankaprasad, a bus driver] and Vineeth [Jack], who the lead pair and myself happen to meet while on a journey, have equal roles to play in the movie. I have a lot of expectations about the film and the role, of course,” says Aju.
The 30-year-old’s next releases are KL-10 Pathu , playing big brother to Unni Mukundan’s character, and Mohanlal-starrer Loham , directed by Ranjith.
Still not playing the hero, we see… “I keep getting offers for the lead role and I keep turning them down because I know I just cannot do it. I am still recovering from the one mistake I made, agreeing to act in the lead,” he says, perhaps referring to box office dud Angane Monayi Aanayi . “The thing is, I don’t want to let the audience or the producer down. As it is, I am a nervous wreck each time I face the camera on a new set. I had wanted to work with Ranjith sir for so long and jumped at the offer for Loham , even though I appear in just one scene in the film. I was so nervous that I actually messed up my lines in the first take!” says Aju. He’s not worried about being typecast because of his decision not to play the lead.
“I’ve tried to be different in each role. I don’t mind playing the college buddy, the naughty little brother, the acquaintance…Ten years down the line, I won’t be able to play these kind of young roles. So, I’m just making the most of the opportunity!”
