‘Felicitations to the new star of Malayalam cinema - Action Hero Suresh’. Thus reads a hoarding at Aristo Junction. Suresh Thampanoor suddenly turns shy as he says: “My friends kept that one at the junction.”
Meanwhile, at his home at Kannettumukku, his 75-year-old mother, Indira, is glued to the television. “She keeps saying, ‘my son’s song will come now,’” says a beaming Suresh.
Suresh is certainly on song. At the age of 47, he has become a star with just one film. Life is no longer the same for this headload worker from the city who plays a drunkard in the movie and ends up in the police station. He wins hearts with his performance and an impromptu song, ‘Muthe ponne pinangalle’, which he wrote, composed and sang.
He hasn’t had enough time to take stock of his celebrity status when I meet him at Aristo Tourist Home. Interviews are lined up for the day and he has been travelling to promote the movie. “I am in a daze. I was in Kochi for a few days and came back to attend a film award function here. I went on stage with Nivin sir [Nivin Pauly]. I was facing such a huge crowd for the first time in my life. My hands were shivering and I couldn’t hold the mike. Then Nivin sir [Nivin Pauly] held it for me and I sang the song,” says Suresh. Cinema-crazy Suresh is getting his share of the limelight and celebrating his new found fortune are his friends.
“I used to get together with my friends and stage plays in an open ground near the railway station. I used to bunk classes in school and watch the afternoon show so as to reach home at the usual time when I return from school. Only English movies were screened at that time, but that was not at all an issue for me.
“I collected scrap and sold it to fund my movie tickets. Sometimes I flicked chappals and sold those to get money. But one day I was caught and, eventually, the school authorities gave me a Transfer Certificate. I dropped out after class eight,” says Suresh.
After that it was a struggle to make ends meet. He had to take care of his mother and five sisters.
“Even then I kept looking for an avenue to get into cinema. I wanted to try acting or direction. But when I found that it was out of bounds, I tried scriptwriting and showed my scripts to many directors. I wrote those big budget films, thanks to the many English films I watched! Who would be interested in making them?” wonders Suresh with a laugh.
He went around meeting directors, I.V. Sasi being one of them. A huge fan of his style of filmmaking, Suresh was sure that Sasi would give him a role. It was then that Suresh got involved in politics and never really got a chance to pursue his dream. However, he never stopped writing – scripts, songs, stories et al.
“Whenever I was alone, I would write something. ‘Muthe ponne…’ is one among them,” he adds. Sreejith, Suresh’s friend, introduced him to Bobby Mohan, Abrid Shine’s friend. Bobby was so impressed by Suresh’s songs and singing that he shot it on his phone and showed it to Shine. “I was called to Kochi and all that they wanted was to hear me sing. Before I knew I got a role as well.
Shine sir told me, “So now you have also become a film actor.’ It was the most wonderful words I have heard in my life. He wanted me to keep this unkempt look of mine and whatever I have done on screen is because of Shine sir and Nivin sir,” he says.
Suresh hasn’t given up his dream of writing a script. For the time being, he is basking in the glory of his celebrity status.
