: Asif Saheer is excited. For, he will soon get the hang of the arc light, which he is not quite familiar with like the floodlight, which he revels in. The star striker of the SBT football team and probably the highest goal scorer in the history of Santhosh Trophy, Mr. Saheer will play a ‘prominent’ role — of a footballer, in an upcoming Malayalam movie by young debutant director Muhsin Parari of Malappuram.
The movie, titled KL-10 Pathu , is a romantic comedy set in Eranadu village in Malappuram. The movie centres on a few exciting events in the village, including a panchayat election and a football tournament, says Mr. Parari, whose hip-hop music video Native Bapa had created waves on YouTube a couple of years ago.
With the young actor Unni Mukundan in the lead, KL-10 Pathu, which acts as a motif for the district since it used to be the corresponding vehicle registration number for Malappuram, will be an attempt to bring out a genuine story from the region and not a standardised or stereotyped one, as it is often seen in the movies here, says the director.
The role of Mr. Saheer will be that of football player and a Cristiano Ronaldo fan. As son of comedian Mamukoya, his character will, however, smack of villainy as he would be pitched against the hero in the field. “I am anxious about the task since I am not familiar with the act,” says the former captain of the Kerala team. “My joy is that above all, I am a footballer in the movie as well,” says Mr. Saheer, who has been with the SBT for over a decade now.
Mr. Saheer, however, has a personal grievance about his role. He is a hardcore Cristiano fan in the movie and not a “Messy fan,” which he is in real life. “It’s only on reel is my solace,” says the striker. The shooting for KL-10 Pathu will begin in Malappuram on February 10 and is expected to be in theatres by Eid (July) this year, says Mr. Parari. LJ Films under director Lal Jose will be the distributor.
