Actor Komal, Jaggesh’s brother, struggled being overweight. That, however, did not stop him from acting in films. He was either a character actor or a comedian. Comedy clicked for him — the man had many in splits with his impeccable comic timing. Komal became a household name with the song ‘Pyarge Aagbittaite’ from the film Govindaya Namaha . The song, composed by Guru Kiran, featured Komal with Parul Yadav. He was flooded with offers but “was getting tired of being typecast as a comedian.” He disappeared from the limelight for three years.
Komal is now back as the lead in Kempegowda 2 , transformed. With a toned physique, he will be playing a cop in the movie. Komal talks about what went on during his break, what he did to come back with a changed look and his preparation for this role.
“I reached out to someone in Coimbatore to help me deal with my weight issues, and she put me on a diet of vegetables and nuts. I lost 12 kilos. Later, I took to Akshar power yoga and lost more weight. Finally, I lost 26 kilos. Now that I looked very different after the weight loss, I started looking for roles that would suit my look. My friends and I got together and did a photo shoot for fun. Nothing was serious yet. I would just dress up as a lawyer, doctor and policeman. When we saw the prints, we realised that my look suited a policeman’s role the best. I then started looking for a suitable script. At the right time, I was approached by Shankar Gowda for this role.”
The cop look suited Komal that even real policemen thought he was one of them. “We just took off towards Hosur Road for a function where the Tamil Nadu police were also present. I had not yet changed from the police uniform and was surprised when they wished me in police style. Embarrassed, I told them I was an actor and this was just a costume. They complimented me, saying my character in Kempegowda 2 will click with the audience.”
Komal adds that he hasn’t used make-up for this film. “Police officers lead a hard life; they’re out in the sun, run and work outdoors. So you will see me as you see me in real life.”
To take on this role, Komal says he spent a month in a police station, following an inspector closely. “I wanted to soak in the way he walked, talked and even used his pen to write. It was an intense month of observation. The inspector would be politely talking to me when a criminal would be brought in. Suddenly, he would walk over to that man, rough him up, and come back and continue talking. I was fascinated with this change in his temper,” reveals Komal, who adds that the cop also updated him on the rules, regulations, and the intricacies of the police department, which helped him develop his character.
To lend authenticity to the story, the entire team, the actor says, spent time at the cyber crime department and studied fingerprint recognition, online thefts and more. “We wanted to make it as real as possible. Exaggeration will not work in a story about a police officer. There will be a lot of action in the film. The normal trend in our films is that the hero will deliver a punch line and then beat up the bad guys. Here, it will not be so. You will see my character just bash up the bad men up.”
Komal says that rerecording was done at AR Rahman’s studio in Chennai. “His studio is the ultimate. So you can look forward to some good sound effects.”
Kempegowda 2 , directed by Shankar Gowda, also stars cricketer S Sreesanth in a negative role.
About the film’s storyline, Komal says, “It will portray a lot of real-life issues related to politics, power and life itself, narrated in a fictitious manner.
The incidents you will see on screen have happened in the past, will happen and continue to happen in society. Also, the world is full of conspiracy theories. You will see many such theories come alive in our film.”
