Interview | Actor Saiju Kurup: I have realised it is better not to have a wish list

Saiju Kurup reflects on his 20-year acting journey in Malayalam cinema

Saiju Kurup laughs at various tags attached to his name — Loan Star, Debt Star, EMI Star etc., all referring to the plight of several characters he essayed on screen. “I take it in a positive way and enjoy the memes. At least people are talking about me,” says Saiju, who is playing a character of the same mould in Porattu Natakam releasing on October 18. Post his OTT debut in the web series, Jai Mahendran, his first in a titular role, he has got a new tag as well. “Someone has called me Language Star because I did a video in the seven languages in which the series released!”

Saiju plays the good-hearted but shrewd deputy tahsildar, G Mahendran, in Jai Mahendran. “I didn’t do any homework for the role. I went by what the director said. I haven’t prepared for any role in my career except for the one in Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela in which I played an oncologist. I met a real-life doctor to play that character,” he says.

The actor says that he depends on his judgement to execute a role. “I just go by how we human beings would react in a particular situation. In Bharathanatyam, I am an office-bearer of the temple’s executive committee and many people asked me if I have been with such people in real life. The fact is I have lived outside Kerala (in Nagpur) till I finished my engineering and have hardly been in such a scenario before. I followed my director’s briefing and my understanding of the situation.”

Saiju is all praise for his co-actors in Jai Mahendran, especially the multifaceted Rahul Riji Nair, writer and producer of the series who plays Balu, Mahendran’s partner in crime. “We have been friends since I worked in his film, Dakini. Rahul knows the character since he has written it. We didn’t do any rehearsal; we supported and complemented each other in our combination scenes.”

The buzz around Jai Mahendran comes close on the heels of another success. His production debut, Bharathanatyam, which failed at the box office, has come up trumps on streaming platforms. “The film has crossed 58 million streaming minutes. It is overwhelming when people call it an OTT blockbuster. When it didn’t do well in theatres, I was depressed to such an extent that my wife, Anupama, even asked if I wanted to take a break so as to get me out of the situation. Several friends from within and outside the industry stood by me. Thomas chettan (Thomas Thiruvalla, co-producer of Bharathanatyam), tried to cheer me up saying it will do well on OTT. And it did.”

So, he is up for another production? “Not really. I wanted to produce a film and I have done that. If something exciting comes up I might do it again.”

It is his 20th year in the industry and with over 150 films in his career, Saiju is pleased to have come this far especially because he had no plans to become an actor. It was serendipity that gave him his first film – Hariharan’s Mayookham (2004), also Mamta Mohandas’ debut film. Saiju was working as a sales official with a leading telecom company when he met singer MG Sreekumar for some official work. When Sreekumar asked Saiju whether he would like to act, the latter said yes.