F ew actors have debuted in tinsel town as sensationally as Rahman. In no time, the gangly, good-looking schoolboy from Ooty of Koodevide became a heartthrob. Padmarajan’s film was a commercial and critical success and Rahman also won the State Award for the Second Best Actor. That was more than three decades ago. The chocolate boy became a romantic hero, then a villain and went on to play all kinds of roles with aplomb. He also made his presence felt in Tamil and Telugu cinema. Rahman, though, could never replicate his early successes as hero on screen and soon disappeared from the scene. The charming actor is now back in Malayalam cinema as a hero with Marupadi , a revenge drama directed by V.M. Vinu. On a balmy weekend evening in Kannur, where he is shooting for the film, Rahman opened up about his long innings in filmdom . Excerpts…
You’ve been away from Malayalam for a long while. What made you say yes toMarupadi?
I have been doing a lot of work in Tamil and Telugu but I have always wanted to do quality work in Malayalam. Most of the scripts that I have listened to of late in Malayalam did not excite me. I found Marupadi interesting; it is based on a real incident. The plot sounded convincing. I felt it had more potential than several other roles that I have been offered recently in Malayalam. I play a banker in the film; the father of a 13-year-girl in this emotionally-charged film. Also, I wanted to work with Vinu, whom I have known for a long time. In fact, I have acted in films in which he worked as an assistant director.
What are the other films you are currently working on?
Four of my Tamil films will be releasing soon. I have high hopes about debutant director Karthik Naren’s Dhruvangal Pathinaaru , in which I am playing the protagonist, a cop. The film has shaped up well as a thriller. Then there is Kuttrame Thandanai , which is the second film of M. Manikandan, director of Kaakka Muttai . I am playing the role of a businessman in it.
I am doing the role of a cop in Oru Mugathirai , directed by R. Senthil Nadan. I have a good role in director Koratala Siva’s Telugu film Janatha Garage . I am playing Mohanlal’s brother in it.
You starred in several memorable films with Mohanlal and Mammootty in the first stage of your career.
Yes, I was lucky to be part of so many good films back in the 80s and 90s in Malayalam.
Then you disappeared from the Malayalam screen…
I was concentrating more on Tamil then. I am enjoying being a part of Tamil cinema, though it is a lot different from Malayalam. I remember being taken aback when S.A. Chandrasekhar was narrating to me the story of Nilave Malare , my first film in Tamil. He told me that a hero in a Tamil film should do action, dancing… everything. “This is not like Malayalam cinema,” he told me.
After enjoying tremendous success in both Malayalam and Tamil, you also had to go through a pretty rough patch…
There was a time when I did not have a single film and I didn’t know how I could pay my rent. But, I hung on; my wife stood by me. I knew I would come back with just one film, which did not happen for a while, though. I didn’t ask anyone for work; I have never done that in my life. Then, director K.S. Ravikumar offered me the role of the villain in Aethirree . I was apprehensive about it, but he convinced me to do it. And I was back.
The film you came back to Malayalam with, after a break, was the path-breakingTraffic…
Its scriptwriters Sanjay and Bobby played a key role in making me do the film. I had met them as kids on the location of Koodevide .
You were also appreciated for your role inMumbai Police
I liked that film a lot and was a bit disappointed when it did not do as well at the box office as I had expected. I guess the Malayali audience was not willing to accept that the film’s hero was homosexual.
You attained stardom as a teenager. And you won the much-coveted State Award for your first film.
Though my family owned a cinema theatre in Nilambur, I did not know much about films when I was chosen for Koodevide . It was while at a friend’s house that I came to know about the award. My friend’s parents had learnt about it from a newspaper report. It was when my parents came home and hugged me and became emotional that I knew that the award was no small feat.
How do you unwind?
By cycling and playing snooker. I am seriously into both. I, in fact, participate in snooker tournaments in Tamil Nadu, but hardly anyone knows about it. It is not in my nature to announce things like that from the rooftop.
