I just couldn’t bear to watch myself on big screen, so i walked out from the theatre...: Askar Ali

Askar Ali, actor and younger brother of Malayalam star Asif Ali, has candidly reflected on his early days in the film industry, revealing how watching himself on screen was once an overwhelming experience.

In a recent interview with Movie World Media, Askar recalled walking out of the theatre during the screening of his debut film ‘Honey Bee 2.5’. “I couldn’t sit until the interval,” he admitted. “I left the theatre. I couldn’t watch myself on the big screen.”

Following his debut, Askar appeared in ‘Kamuki’ and a few other films that failed to make a mark at the box office, though they found moderate success on OTT platforms. Reflecting on that phase, he said, “it might have just been my bad luck or something like that. I honestly had no idea what went wrong. Looking back, my biggest blessing at the time was that there weren’t many people doing reviews then.”

But the current climate, he noted, is less forgiving. “Now I jump up from my sleep, frightened, when I see certain reviewers. The way they start, just their voice modulation, makes me fear what they’re going to say,” he added with a chuckle. “But I have to deal with it. Because of them, I started to be careful of how I act.”

A shift in approach

Askar says his recent projects, mostly made with close friends, have helped him approach acting with more confidence and maturity. “These days, I work on films made by my friends. I sit with them, understand the characters in depth, and I believe that has really helped me improve as an actor.”

He will next be seen in ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, following ‘Janaki V vs State of Kerala’. The film marks the directorial debut of Faizal Faziludeen and is produced by Sanju Unnithan under the banner of Spire Productions. The cast includes filmmaker Jeo Baby, ‘Aavesham’-fame Midhutty, Bibin Perumbilli, and popular social media personalities Arjyou and Sreekanth Vettiyar. Tamil actors Redin Kingsley, Boxer Dheena, and Mime Gopi also play significant roles. The screenplay is co-written by Faizal and Blk Fzl, with cinematography by Don Paul P, editing by Kannan Mohan, music composed by Ajmal Hasbulla, and sound design by Renganaath Ravee.

Censor troubles

Askar is also part of ‘Janaki V vs State of Kerala’, a courtroom drama starring Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran. The film faced significant delays due to objections raised by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), particularly over its original title ‘Janaki’. The board cited concerns over religious sensitivity, noting that "Janaki" is another name for the Hindu goddess Sita.

Askar shared his initial disbelief when the news broke. "I initially thought it was a PR stunt — it had to be a joke. I even asked my crew, ‘Don’t fool me,’ but they told me it was true and definitely not a PR stunt,” he said.

Following a legal challenge and negotiations, the filmmakers agreed to change the title to ‘Janaki V’ and mute a scene containing the name in a courtroom dialogue. With the certification now approved, the film is slated for release on July 18.

Directed by Pravin Narayanan, the film tells the story of a woman's legal fight for justice after a traumatic assault. Also starring Madhav Suresh, Shruti Ramachandran, Divya Pillai, Baiju Santhosh, Kottayam Ramesh and Shoby Thilakan, the movie is produced by J Phanindra Kumar under the Cosmos Entertainments banner. The technical crew includes cinematographer Renadive, editor Samjith Mohamed and music composer Ghibran.