I know the limits of my physical appearance and the roles that suit me: Actor Indrans

I haven’t really been able to experience love in the true sense because I don’t really have the right look for it. But that doesn’t mean I have not tried my hand at love, popular Malayalam actor Indrans said in a light-hearted session at the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters. 

“I am aware of the limitations because of my physical appearance and that is why I have always preferred to be on the sidelines. But I have no regrets about that. I always wanted to be an actor. From my limited circumstances, I dreamt of becoming a well-off tailor who would have the means to open a drama troupe of my own. When I learnt that I could use my tailoring skills in cinema, I nudged my way in, taking up small roles, one at a time,” he said.

When asked if this humility was a well-practiced act by session moderator Thaha Madayi, the actor agreed that perhaps it was. 

“In retrospect, I believe it might have been an act initially but soon turned into a habit”. He agreed with the moderator that a smiling face is something that everyone likes. Indrans deemed E.K Nayanar as the person in politics whom he likes the most. His statements are ones that we can use and mimic in cinema too, he remarked.

When looking back at the iconic comic characters he portrayed, Indrans opined that he feels now that he could have done a better job and spoke of how he developed a thick skin to do anything that the role required as he was certain that this was what suited his ‘look’ best. 

On being asked why he chooses to remain aloof from social media, Indrans said that he loves the world around him too much and does not want to limit his worldview to a mobile phone’s screen. 

Indrans spoke of how the world and everything in it has changed and though he laments the old-world order, he agrees that one needs to move with the times. Talking about the ‘fan phenomenon’ the actor remarked that the film will be successful if it is good and though the support of fans helps, it is alone not enough.

“The idea of glamour exists in films. Everyone is concerned about their image and has wishes about who acts opposite to them. I can do any role but people have certain perceptions of how a hero or heroine should look like. So I took a backseat at my own will. It is also the safer option because you don’t need seatbelts and helmets when travelling in the backseat,” Indrans said.

He also shared with the audience how he is sensitive and cries quite easily but also gets angry quickly. However, he lightheartedly remarked how even his family does not take his anger seriously. 

“It is easy to touch people’s hearts and make them feel sad but it’s extremely difficult to make them laugh. When people see me, it’s like when they see a monkey in a museum. They are fascinated. They remember me as ‘Kodakambi’ and ‘Neerkoli’ and I am glad that I could make them laugh,” the actor said.