Younger Malayalam stars favour character roles

The recent hits that have brought a new lease of life to Malayalam cinema reveal a trend of leading younger actors choosing to play pivotal supporting characters.
Several recent Malayalam hits including Traffic, Salt n’ Pepper and Cocktail did not feature any of the top league stars carrying the show but instead had a young ensemble cast playing concise-but-prominent roles Prithviraj, Jayasurya, Indrajith, Kunchacko Boban and Anoop Menon are some of the younger actors who are choosing varied roles to further their careers.
Anoop Menon says that it is a result of the wind of change, which started in the 80s and has now come to a full circle. Actors such as Mohanlal and Mammootty chose such supporting roles to begin their careers and have now become superstars, he explains.
The actor will next be seen on screen playing the supporting role of Anupam Kher’s son in Pranayam.
Attributing the exposure to world cinema, he says, “The perception of actors have changed and it’s not all about hogging the limelight, but doing the right roles and stealing the scene, like a Jack Nicholson or a Javier Bardem, even if it’s a one-scene character.”
Indrajith is another actor who has chosen different roles from being a villain in Meesha Madhavan to being the leading man in Chekavar to playing supporting roles in Classmates and Veettilekkulla Vazhi.
He says he gives importance to the script and the character while choosing his roles. “The movie is not only about a hero or a heroine. All the characters are equally important,” he adds.
With critics saying that Malayalam cinema is undergoing a wave of change, the outlook of the younger turks in the industry seems fresh and promising.