Bobby Simha and Nivin Pauly go back a long way, to the time they starred in Alphonse Putharen’s Neram. After Bangalore Days released, “Nivin casually told me that if they remade the movie, I must do his role,” says Bobby. The role of Kannan (Kutty), an endearing mix of small-town innocence and wide-eyed wonder at city life, is a far cry from Bobby’s on-screen persona, especially after his searing don act in Jigarthanda . But when producers PVP approached Bobby for another film, he offered to be a part of Bangalore Naatkal . “I was thrilled because it was being directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar; I’m a huge fan of the family values that he showcases in his films,” says Bobby.
And so, he embarked on a journey to transform into Kannan: the team tried a different hairstyle on him, and Bobby worked hard on his body language and voice modulation. “Many a time, during shooting, Bhaskar would gently remind me that it was not the sets of Jigarthanda ,” laughs Bobby. “It’s difficult to match Nivin’s performance, but I’ve tried…”
The actor says he’s ready to accept any feedback that comes his way, because the character was against his grain, and it was a huge challenge. “But the shooting was great fun. I had an amazing set of co-actors—Rana Daggubati, Arya, Sri Divya, Raai Laxmi… and since I have never experienced any such cousin bonding during my childhood, this was an eye-opener,” he says.
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The actor has been simultaneously working on many projects, including
But, for now, he’s waiting to see how his version of Kuttan will be accepted.