"In the scene where Farsu Aunty grabbed me by the collar, I was genuinely scared. Until then, she had been so friendly. When she suddenly got angry, how can I be not frightened?" says Adisheshan, affectionately known as Pikachu, the young actor who won over Malayalam audiences with just one film, Balan. Here's the story of the Class II student from Thanneermukkom in Alappuzha.

After Balan, Pikachu has become a star, hasn't he?

Now, a lot of people come up to me and ask about the movie. One day, Sinan chettan (the other child actor in Balan) and I were eating mandi at a hotel when two women came up to us and asked, "Aren't you the boy from Balan?" They took photos with me. I was so happy. It's the same at school too. Everyone treats me like someone special now, and they are all very supportive. A few days ago, the school organised a reception for me. When I walked onto the stage, all my friends kept clapping without stopping. That made me really happy.

How did you become a part of Balan?

When I was very young, I acted in a short film called Sugandhi. The casting director, Ganapathi chettan, saw the reels from that film and called me for an audition. The first thing I did was a photoshoot with Farsu aunty, who plays my mother in Balan. They asked me to give her a kiss, but I was very shy and hesitant. Seeing that, even my mother felt bad. Then director Chidambaram sir said he would sort it out, and that's how we managed to do the scene.

Which scene was the most difficult to perform?

The scene where I get into the lorry without seeing my mother was the hardest. It was very difficult to act out that sadness. They put glycerine in my eyes to make me cry, but it stung so badly that I ended up crying for real.

Were there any moments during the shoot when you felt scared?

I was really scared while shooting the boat scene in the sea. The waves were crashing hard against the boat, and Tovino uncle had a tough time controlling it. I was also genuinely frightened while filming the scene where Farsu aunty (actress Farsana) grabbed me by the collar. Until then, she had been very friendly with me, so when she suddenly got angry, I got scared. And then there's Dolly grandmother in the film—she's just the same in real life too. We are always playfully arguing with each other. Many people also told me they felt angry with Jean Paul chettan, who played the police officer Pavithran. But in real life, Jean chettan is such a kind person. It's the character you should be angry with, not him.

Tovino is your favourite actor, isn't he?

My favourite actors are Tovino uncle, Mammookka (Mammootty) and Lalettan (Mohanlal). In Tamil cinema, it's Kamal Haasan. Many people have told me that I look like a young Kamal Haasan. My biggest dream now is to act alongside all of them. In fact, I'd love to act with every actor.

The first time I met Tovino uncle, he asked me, "Hey Peeku, how are you doing?" The moment he said that, I was completely at ease. All my nervousness disappeared. He even gifted me a chain and a shark-themed T-shirt. I also love Spider-Man and Venom and I enjoy drawing, and almost everything I draw is either Spider-Man or Venom.

How did Adisheshan become 'Pikachu'?

When I was little, I used to dance whenever the Pikachu song played. My father started calling me "Pikachu". Now, everyone at school and on film sets calls me either Peeku or Pikachu. I actually like being called that name. My father's name is Ratheesh and my mother is Athira. Both of them have been my biggest supporters. Since I was very young, it has always been my mother who took me to auditions.

Even with all this happiness today, there's still one sadness left, isn't it?

Yes. We don't have a house of our own. We are living in a rented house because our home was destroyed in floods. Many people used to make fun because we didn't have money and own a house. There were also many things I liked that we simply couldn't afford to buy. But today, I'm happy. People recognise me and I can buy the things I like. My dream is to study hard and become a doctor while continuing my journey in cinema at the same time.