All it takes is one look at the towering Shivajith Nambiar to know how Jayaraj would have seen his Aromal Chekavar to match Kunal Kapoor’s Chandu for his opus Veeram ; the auteur’s take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
But first, Shivajith shows a photograph of his from two years back, to show who Jayaraj saw. Shivajith looks vastly different today, more muscular and well-toned. “This,” pointing to himself, he says, “took two years of preparation. Of kalari, dieting and spending time in the gym. That was the tough part - kalari and yoga in the morning and building body in a gym in the evening - it was painful.” He moved to Kollam, living at CVN Kalari there and training in the old-fashioned style with a guru.
The role is a debut beyond his wildest imagination, at the end of a 14 year-long struggle. He had to make it good and be ‘worthy’ of his chance. The dream offer came with a bout of self doubt, which he overcame. “The two years of hard work were the least I could do for the break I was given and the faith that Jayaraj sir invested in me.”
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Jayaraj wanted his actors to be familiar with kalari, since the film is pegged on it, to make it as realistic as possible. Kapoor too trained for around six months. No stunt doubles were used, whatever the audience sees is the real deal, he says. The team went through many swords as the shoot progressed.
“The sword fight sequences were not make believe, we were really fighting, going at each other in all earnestness. So much so that Jayaraj sir would tell us not to overdo it. We would barely hear ‘cut’, only ‘action’ would register.” He is all praise for Jayaraj for giving the actors the space and freedom to perform.
This native of Kannur now lives between Kottayam and the United States of America, where he hopes to study and work. A Kalapratibha winner, at the school level, he carried the acting dream for a long time until he met Jayaraj. He had almost decided to give up the struggle, “yes, it was a struggle getting a chance, despite knowing people in the industry!” He was working in Bengaluru while scouting a chance in films, “I didn’t want to start working on a regular basis, if I did then I’d get trapped in the cycle.” He has had offers, post-
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Though the film has been screened twice, once in Delhi (BRICS) and in Goa (IFFI), he refused the opportunity to watch it. He can’t contain his excitement as the theatre release draws close. A film buff, he wants to see the film in a theatre here. “I love watching films, and I try to catch the opening shows. Same goes for my film, I will watch it in a theatre next week.”
Working with the best technicians in the world was an added bonus. The shoot involved him starting at 4 am, to get the make up done.
Kunal Kapoor’s commitment was an eye-opener for him, “He never ‘chilled’ on set. He was constantly learning his lines, working hard at getting the Malayalam part right. His background in theatre showed in his style of working.” He also helped Kapoor with his Malayalam. Being a tri-lingual, the film demanded different styles of acting. A scene was shot three times which demanded the actors transition from the style of one to the next which, was also a learning experience Shivajith adds. “It feels like I acted in three films,” he jokes.
With the release a week away, he says, “I can’t wait for the film to release!”