Over time, all actors change, some become stereotyped, some evolve. Jayasurya belongs to the latter group. Over the last two years, Jayasurya has graduated into an actor with the gumption to take on roles and characters that go contrary to his earlier image of the comedian and good boy. The actor has certainly moved on and won his acting spurs by throwing caution to the wind and taking up some tough assignments that made him work on his physique and approach to films and acting.
A case in point is his superb portrayal of the suave, scheming and amoral Angur Rawther in Amal Neerad’s Iyobinte Pusthakam wherein he enacts an unscrupulous timber merchant and land grabber whose greed stops at nothing. “Just the fact that Amal called me for his film is an award in itself for me. I had just finished the shoot for Ramdas’ Apothecary , in which I played a cancer patient. I had to lose weight for the role and so I was looking emaciated. Amal told me that I had to put on some kilos to play Rawther and I did. I find I enjoy playing these negative roles too, in which I can play various shades of the bad guy,” laughs the actor, speaking over the phone while travelling to the location of Midhun Manuel Thomas’ Aadu Oru Bheekara Jeeviyaanu .
With three of his films playing in theatres at the same time, the actor has much to laugh about. “This is again a movie I am enthused about. Midhu is the scenarist of Ohm Shanthi Oshaana . In Aadu… , my character is Shaji Pappen, captain of a local team that competes in tug-of-war contests. One of the prizes he wins is a goat and the film narrates what happens to him when the goat comes into his life. It is a fun-filled film,” he says.
The next year also has Jayasurya enacting some interesting characters while Priyadarsan’s Aamayum Muyalum , the acclaimed director’s first movie with the actor, is likely to be a Christmas release. Admitting that he was thrilled to bits to be acting in a Priyadarsan film, Jayasurya adds that he was so nervous he could not even perform for the first three days.
He chips in: “I have grown up on a diet of films made by Priyan sir and here I was acting in a film of his. It was surreal. The movie is a comedy, in which I impersonate a domestic help to win the hand of the girl I love. ”
In the meantime, Jayasurya turned producer with Punyalan Agarbathis and Moonnaamidam (a short film) and he has also turned singer. Looks like he is game for anything that defies the routine.
“I am on the lookout for characters with a personality of their own. Instead of filling call sheets with the same kind of roles, I am choosing roles who are like us – with a past, present and future. That has helped me select some interesting characters who have challenged the actor in me and made me happy. So, in future too, my wish is to sign for movies that offer me such roles,” says Jayasurya.
But then where do films like Mathai Kuzhappakkaranalla and Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) fit into this plan of action.
“Those films are part of the plan. My characters are not run-of-the-mill single dimensional ones. Moreover, let’s admit it, no film will appeal to all. So, there are viewers who told me that they enjoyed watching LBS and Mathai …. Movies like Mathai deserve to be made. It has a message for us and I wanted to be part of it. The problem in this field is that you just cannot please every one.”
Adding that one must not forget that cinema is a dream destination for thousands of youngsters, he believes that those who have found a niche in tinsel town must go all out to help youngsters find their feet in this dreamland. “I have signed some movies because I genuinely want to help newcomers get a footing in Malayalam cinema. There are many who have the talent and the imagination but lack the financial backing. If I can lend a helping hand to even one or two or them, I would be a happy man. But, again, I have to like my character. One has to take risks. You win some, you lose some.”
Man with the golden tooth
“Guess what was my contribution to Rawther? A gold tooth. I felt that a guy who had become rich through unscrupulous means would certainly want to advertise his ill-gotten gains and in those days a gold tooth spelt riches. So I got it fitted it and flashed it on the sets. Amal liked the idea of Rawther’s gold tooth,” narrates Jayasurya.
