A reluctant star Favourite Five

He plays a scriptwriter who dreams big in Vellithirai, re-make of the Malayalam superhit Udayananu Thaaram. Next is the role of Verghese in director Madhupaal’s Thalappavu in Malayalam, b ased on a real incident in the 1970s - a fake encounter that killed a naxalite youth in Kerala.

And, he is the bad guy in director Bhushan’s Telugu film. “I play the hero, but it’s a dark kind of film — no song and dance with 30 dancers, and no flying-through-the-air acts,” says the star, who smilingly calls himself a ‘25-year-old grown-up actor’.

Refreshing experience

He lives a packed schedule. But, as promised, turns up for the interview, orders coffee and starts talking. With more than 40 films in a matter of five years and as the youngest actor to have got a Kerala state award for his role as 32-year old Balachandran Adiga in Vaasthavam, actor Prithviraj says the experience is refreshing. He says he wants to let the characters he plays do the talking.

“I don’t want to become the highest paid actor or the next superstar; I just want to be looked upon as a serious actor, who is able to do justice to the roles he portrays. And, it is heartening when the audience connects with the characters, like Karthik in Mozhi,” says the son of the late Malayalam actor Sukumaran.

Vellithirai, he says, is pitched differently for the Tamil audience. Was it too much of pressure essaying the role originally played by Mohanlal? “It is unfair to draw comparisons. Mohanlal did the film in his 27th year of acting; I’m only into my fifth year. I have tried to bring in originality based on my understanding of the role,” he says.

In Thalappavu, the story is told from the perspective of the head constable who shoots Verghese. “I don’t play the protagonist. The 70s track and the current track travel seamlessly in the film,” says the actor, who draws inspiration from his travel, books and people to get into the skin of the characters. “I am a reluctant actor. Though I do a lot of preparation, my instincts take over the moment the director says ‘action’.”

Mozhi, Satham Podathey and Kannamoochi Yenada brought him closer to the Tamil audience. In Malayalam films, roles such as Neil, a middle-aged writer in director Shyamprasad’s Akale, Sukumaran, a fiery student leader in Classmates, and Shyam Balagopal in the hilarious Chocolate announced the arrival of the star.

And, of course the endearing Manu of Nandanam, his debut role. About his roles, he says, “All those guys I play on screen are much better people than Prithvi. I’m not a nice guy at all.”

He continues, “When I listen to a story, and I play it out in my mind, it should excite me enough to say ‘yes’. I make it a point to travel with the story right from the time the idea is born. This helps in getting a better emotional grip of the character.” Prithvi will also be seen in the Tamil re-make of Classmates. Talking of the lessons he has learnt from stalwarts, he takes Kamal Hassan’s example. “After proving himself in hundreds of films, he wakes up and applies make-up for four hours and faces the camera for another dream role in Dasavatharam. The effort he takes to keep the passion burning is amazing,” he says.

Summing up, he says: “I’m a recluse, an introvert. I prefer to unwind with a book in my room rather than party. I am here not for the money or glamour; I don’t even have a girlfriend to buy gifts for. It’s a matter of pride that people look up to you for your quality work. I never want my characters to be bigger than my films.”