'Indian Monster' going strong

Known as ‘Indian Monster’ in bodybuilding circles, Mr Universe 2019 Chitharesh Natesan is actually Mr Determination.  

No one knew Chitharesh Natesan until late November, when cricket god Sachin Tendulkar tweeted about a historic win at South Korea – that the 33-year-old Keralite from Kochi put his hometown on the global map by becoming Mr Universe 2019. Chitharesh is the first-ever Indian to have won the title of Mr Universe in the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship, defeating participants from 38 countries and emerging as the Champion of Champions – again a first for India.

“A week before that I had won the Asian championships and become the Champion of Champions there too, but nobody knew about any of it until Sachin tweeted about it,” says Chitharesh, excitement booming in his voice. For this youngster for the tiny hamlet of Vaduthala in Kochi, the moment of recognition is a dream come true. His path to glory has been full of twists and turns. He is known by the nickname ‘Indian Monster’ in bodybuilding circles, but after a chat with Chitharesh, one would consider renaming him as Mr Determination. Numerous injuries, multiple breaks and missed championships didn’t affect his morale, but made him more focussed. Now, on a strict high-protein diet for over a year and long-hour workouts every single day, he believes he has more to do and a long way to go.

Chitharesh was not a wannabe bodybuilder; that was something that struck him at a later stage of life. His first love was hockey. “I started off as a hockey player since school days and went on to become a state-level player during graduation. Being a hockey player, I had to maintain my body weight and there was no chance of body building,” he recalls. He opted for his second graduation course at Lakshmibhai National College of Physical Education in Thiruvananthapuram, where he chose hockey as his specialisation.

After graduating, he moved to Delhi and started working with his friends’ fitness group there as a trainer. “There was very little scope for hockey in Delhi and I started weight training under the guidance of Sagar, my friend and coach,” adds Chitharesh, who considered contesting championships.

“In 2010, I participated in Mr Ernakulam championship, but soon, I met with an accident and contracted a foot infection that required two months’ bed rest. After preparations and training, I decided to compete in 2013, but a shoulder injury again pulled me down. I stayed off for one year,” he says. But the resting period had wonders in store for him. While recuperating, he took Latin Dance classes, where he met Nasiba, an Uzbek native. Soon, the two fell in love and they got married. Now settled in Delhi, the couple flies down to Kerala once in a while.

However, post injuries, Chitharesh bounced back and went on to become Mr India in three consecutive years from 2016. The year also saw him emerging as Mr India-Dubai. In 2017, he became Mr Delhi and the Champion of Champions in the contest. A year later, Chitharesh won Mr World title in the Europe-based IBFF championship and literally found himself on the top of the world. Then came the twist of fate. “I was hoping to earn a job with my win, but only then did I come to know that the federations I had been representing lacked recognition.”

He then joined Mumbai-based IBBF, where he was selected for Mr Asia championships. Chitharesh came home to meet his parents before the championships when hurdles, this time, came in the form of Kerala floods. With air traffic hit and whole life brought to a standstill, he rushed to rescue and relief operations though it took a toll on his diet and training. But he doesn’t brood over it, “When everyone around was affected, there was nothing to do. I and my friends were at the rehabilitation camps, coordinating rescue operations and helping people. There was no point in attending championships when you are not ready.”

Once on training mode, nothing would deter Chitharesh. No cheating, no breaks, not one day of eating out or hanging out. “In bodybuilding, focus and discipline are very important. So is money,” he smiles, explaining his daily diet of 300 g protein, 200 g carbohydrate and 100 g fat, which translates into 40 eggs and 1 kg chicken every day (6-7 meals a day)! “You have no idea how financially draining bodybuilding is,” he adds.

His advice to any aspiring bodybuilder is to find a good sponsor and a recognised federation to support their dreams, and an expert team of a trainer, doctor, physiotherapist. For Chitharesh, who had no sponsorship, his coach, friends, parents, wife and sisters have been his pillars of support.

“Participation in a championship means months of hard work and continuous training without any distraction. The more effort you put in the sweeter will be the success. And remember, there are no shortcuts, nothing at all,” he concludes.

 Published in Deccan Herald on February 9, 2020

Breaking the mould

A lone warrior who defies gender, racial and hegemonic stereotypes of classical dance, Guru Manu's life is a textbook

The first feature you notice about Guru Manu is his eyes — deep, calm, filled with mystery. Sporting a long silver beard, a spotless white kurta and saffron mundu, one would easily mistake him for a yogi. But when he starts talking, the Guru’s arms move gracefully, forming mudras and as if in a recital, he pulls you in, to his world of sadir. “Bharatanatyam is Sadir attam in Tamil-speaking regions. Widely considered a temple art form, it is actually based on Tantric philosophy. It’s an art form based on straight line movements involving all the eight directions,” he says as he gestures, demonstrating the hastas with arms forming a straight line. 

A lone warrior who defies gender, racial and hegemonic stereotypes of classical dance, this man’s life is a textbook. Born into a middle class Muslim family in Kodungallur as Abdul Manaf, his penchant for dance was spotted by his brother-in-law Aboobacker, who used to take little Manu to Kathakali recitals and Kutcheris. Falling in love with dance, Manu used to jump across the compound wall of a school near his home to watch a dance teacher training the children. Aboobacker enrolled him for Bharatanatyam classes, but the inevitable storm brewed and he soon became an outcaste. “It wasn’t from the Muslim community. Protests came from within my extended family and people around me,” he recalls. 

His fort, back then, was Irinjalakuda, where he attended concerts and recitals, rubbed shoulders with maestros and got trained under masters like Kalamandalam Raghavan asan. “I learned Kathakali, Kathak and Mohiniyattam, but my heart lies in Bharatanatyam. I left Kerala to learn more and travelled across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where sadir followed the lasya-based Thanjavur system, and then to the North. I halted at many places, at times, spent years at one spot. My return to Kerala was after 30 years,” he says. At Madhya Pradesh, where he spent many years, he trained children in Bharatanatyam. 

There, he got to associate with Bharatanatyam exponent Shankar Hombal, a direct disciple of Kalakshetra founder Rukmini Devi Arundale. Hombal considered him as his son and together, they run Kala Padma Institute in Bhopal. As years passed, he decided to take the learning further, outside books and scriptures, and went out to get first-hand experience from temple art works. His references were the temple sculptures in Tamil Nadu and south Karnataka, which immortalised dance moves on it. It was time for Guru Manu to make the move. In a transgressive attempt, he revolutionised Bharatanatyam, which is known for its fixed upper torso and spectacular footwork, by introducing bhangas and bhangis of sculptures to the dance form. 

“What I have learned is that sadir has no original form. An art form that projects femininity, sadir is being traditionally practiced with no hip movements. But in every temple sculpture, the hip had bhangas and bhangis and I inculcated it in performance,” he says, demonstrating the posture of Krishna in traditional pose and his reformed version. 

He researched through paintings and sculptures in temples across the country, came across long-lost dance forms like Laavan. A wanderer, he took his artistic rebellion to places and trained children in his own style. He is not a strict guru but is very particular that his disciples should give their whole heart to the art. “I do not train anyone who eyes competitions. Only a limited number of dancers take forward their passion. A lot of dancers are doing research and coming out with doctorates. Does anyone know what they have researched and found out?” 

In Kochi, where Guru Manu is on a halt between travels, he is training a small group of women — homemakers and artistes who are passionate about Bharatanatyam. He also conducts workshops for students. “My training technique involves developing inquisitiveness in my students so that they too get out of the fixed structures to explore more and experience the real sadir,” he concludes.

 Published in Deccan Chronicle on February 7, 2018

Anson's fanboy moment

The actor recalls his joy when Mammootty invited him to the dais and talks about his new projects.

It’s a special year for Anson Paul. His Christmas release Aadu 2, in which he plays the villainous Anali Sabu, is running to packed houses. Kala Viplavam Pranayam that will see him as a guy-next-door is gearing up for release and his Tamil rom-com with Oviya is nearing completion. But the best of all is Abrahaminte Santhathikal, in which he acts as megastar Mammootty’s brother. 

Letting out an excited laugh, Anson says, “It was on New Year’s day that I met Mammookka for the first time. During the audio launch, when he called me on to the dais, it was my fanboy moment. The goosebumps lasted the whole day! For a person who grew up watching his movies and admiring his charisma, it was the best gift in the universe.” Only later did he know that it was Mammootty who suggested him for the role of his brother. The movie has Maria John playing Anson’s love interest. 

Going by his makeover, Anson is no longer the sophisticated, charming guy we are used to. Sporting long hair and rugged beard, he was unrecognisable in Aadu 2. In Kala… too, he maintains the hair and beard. “But both characters are poles apart. Anali Sabu is a ruthless ruffian whereas in Kala…, I play a village simpleton for the first time. As the name suggests, there is art, politics and romance. It’s a light-hearted movie about a middle class guy,” he says. The movie has him romancing Gayathri Suresh. 

When actor-producer Vijay Babu offered him Anali Sabu, Anson didn’t have to think twice. “I was told that I was an antagonist and had to dance, but an Aadu fan myself, I immediately accepted it. Like all the characters who have a background, Sabu too has one. The name Anali, came from his habit of spitting, like the snake. He doesn’t have many dialogues. So, I had to work on my look and body language. My inspiration came from Attakathi Dinesh’s Kabali act, how he carried off the role without much dialogues.” 

As he puts it, “It’s kind of fun breaking the image. If you can’t prove that you’d pull off any type of character, what’s the point in being an actor?” His penchant for perfection is evident from how he insisted on dubbing by sporting the costumes of Anali Sabu and chewing paan. During the making of Solo, a jetlagged Anson hurriedly finished the dubbing in Malayalam and Tamil. But later, when he introspected and realised that he wasn’t ‘in character’, he requested a re-dub and went for it. “What’s the use if you can’t do justice to your character in all realms,” he asks. 

Speaking from the sets of Abrahaminte Santhathikal, Anson says his body is all tired from shooting the fight scene. “But my spirit is not. I am always on the sets as a student, assisting the director and learning from legends. I haven’t committed to any other movie now. Whatever I do, I want to put my heart, soul and body into it.” He won’t reveal much about his look or role. Hope there are more surprises in store.

 Published in Deccan Chronicle on January 15, 2018

Dark is divine!

All these years, the popular imagery of Hindu deities has been of fair-skinned model-like figures with chiselled torso sporting a halo.

All these years, the popular imagery of Hindu deities has been of fair-skinned model-like figures with chiselled torso sporting a halo — like the images seen on Sivakasi calendars. When Chennai-based ad film makers Naresh Nil and Bharadwaj Sundar decided to do a different photo series for their personal satisfaction, after myriad ideas and brainstorming sessions, they zeroed in on the subject ‘Dark is Divine’. 

Featuring everyday men, women and children, the photo series showed gods and goddesses as dark-skinned figures. No sooner than they uploaded the photos on Facebook, it broke the Internet; with close to 5,000 shares and over 3,500 likes. 

If you call it a revolutionary act, the duo would correct you, “The photos and idols of gods we have been seeing are in no way close to reality. Of course, no one has seen God, but the images need to be true according to the epics. Ours was an attempt to do it right along with pointing to people’s obsession with fairness.” 

Naresh and Bharadwaj have been friends since college days and their startup firm has been working on ad films, fashion photo shoots and musicals since 2012. At times, in between work pressure time for clients, they do a few works "from their heart". The ‘Dark is Divine’ series is one of those. 

“Earlier, we have done two videos —60 jobs, 60 seconds for May Day and an A cappella version of Jana Gana Mana for Independence Day. This idea came up a couple of months ago and after doing a bit of research, we started working on it,” recalls Naresh, who handled the photography part. Bharadwaj reveals that they had planned it as a 12-photo series and, due to time and budget constraints, narrowed it down to six. “The seventh one - of Sita and Lava-Kusha — was not planned earlier. Our makeup artist Sridevi Ramesh, who is also a plus-size model, was inspired by the work and expressed interest that she be part of it. And so she became Sita,” he says. 

The photos have it all —the grace, aura and divinity; even the postures are maintained in the traditional way. They haven’t attempted to change even the poses. Bharadwaj explains why, “We were already bringing a change and didn’t want to make it more abstract.” 

Both of them agree that before looking into movies for blaming popular culture for inculcating a liking for fairness, one should introspect. “Everything starts from home. Every mother wants their son to marry a fair girl, a ‘Lakshmi’. That’s what needs to change,” Naresh says. 

Bharadwaj adds, “There’s so much negativity associated with dark skin. Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, who are dark-skinned according to Puranas, are portrayed as fair or blue. Even Ganesha is all white-skinned in paintings, movies and idols. Have we ever seen a white elephant?” 

As part of breaking stereotypes, the two preferred normal people over models. Even the children featured belonged to family and acquaintances. While a lot of people have appreciated the work, not all are happy about it. “It’s natural. God is a sentimental subject. When we try to break what people have been seeing for long, they will naturally be upset. But this is our one small step towards making a change,” Bharadwaj says. 

This photo series, they hope, will bring acceptance to all those dark-skinned women who are expected to be like Lakshmi.

 Published in Deccan Chronicle on January 12, 2018

Feminichis stand up as ratings go down

As Women in Cinema Collective continues to be targeted online, various stakeholders share their opinions about the downrating campaign. 

The online tirade against the Women in Cinema Collective and Parvathy has taken an uglier turn in the past few days with a hatred campaign growing strong every minute. On New Year, the WCC had shared on its Facebook page an article on misogyny in Malayalam cinema, an act that saw immediate repercussions. Social media users were quick to react as they hurled another array of verbal abuses at the Collective members, whom they address as feminichis, and giving a 1-star rating to the page for ‘insulting megastar Mammootty’. 

Similarly, when the first song of year, ‘Pathungi Pathungi’ from My Story, was released on YouTube, there came thousands of dislikes for this song apparently for the reason Parvathy was in it. Though the article was pulled down from the WCC page, the down-rating attack still continues with 35,000-plus reviews and over 26,000 1-star ratings. 

My Story director Roshni Dinaker is sad about the dislike and vitriol campaign. “It is very disheartening. The only thing people are talking about is a statement made by a person. Nobody talks about how differently we have done it and how much effort the actors and technicians have put in. I’m very sad about Shaan Rahman. After the much-lauded ‘Jimikki Kammal’, his song is being degraded. We are being attacked for something that is in no way connected to our movie. I can’t even open my Facebook account. Even my inbox is full of abuses,” she says. 

It seems to be an organised attack and not random fans responding to the hurtful article and the actor’s ‘arrogance’. Jiyas Jamal, a lawyer who runs the startup Talk Loud, which engages in social media campaigns, explains how such campaigns work.

“People believe that what is shared the most is the truth. When a client approaches us to trigger a campaign, we first get to know what the real issue is, to plan how to counter it. We have a tie-up with around 200 active pages all over Kerala. 

“We alert them and they share the content our team creates along with related articles and write ups published on online portals. The rest will be shared and liked by the people and other pages,” he says. Talk Loud, with offices in Kochi and Kozhikode, has a 10-member team in Kochi and several part-time content generators working for them all over Kerala. Jiyas admits that it was they who offered legal support to Printo, who was arrested for the cyber attack on Parvathy, and bailed him out. “He can’t be called a client of our firm because we did it for free. He couldn’t even afford legal services and we helped him gain support on social media. Yes, what he posted came under defamation, but it wasn’t fair to slap all those charges on him. There were many fans who unleashed a very degrading attack on her,” he says. 

Though mass downrating campaign has been seen when the Facebook page of Republic TV and the apps of Snapchat and ScoopWhoop faced the wrath of social media users over many controversies, for the movie industry, it is a new phenomenon. Social media commentator Hiran Venugopalan opines, “It’s a mode of protest and we have seen many of these, but not on an organisational level like this. There’s no other film organisation that is active on social media like WCC, so it can’t be compared with any other entity. 

However, this rating never affects their activities, though there are people who consider it as an impact.” On the ‘immature’ dislike campaign too, he feels it can’t do anything to a movie or an actor. “They are trying to show their strength as fans. But it will have no effect on a movie. People will watch the movie if it is good despite any negative campaign. 

After all, social media users are a very tiny part of the audience crowd. A film like Mayaanadhi could survive such campaigns by running to packed houses even now. If My Story wins over the audience, people will turn up to watch it despite all these slur campaigns,” feels Hiran. Kasaba director Nithin Renji Panicker too echoed similar views. Though the whole controversy began from the character played by Mammootty in his debut movie, Nithin has no complaints. “I consider her comment as the response of an audience who has all the right to love or hate a movie. It will never affect me or my future movies. My character is a person who talks that way; in fact, all the characters in the movie were rough. And I don’t think I can work on my future projects by keeping certain parameters in mind. Regarding the campaigns, I don’t think it would affect a movie’s prospects. Even when Ramaleela released last year, there was a smear campaign, but it went on to be one of the highest-grossing films of last year. If a film is good, people would watch it,” he says. 

Despite the down-rating movement being countered by a 5-star rating campaign with people like litterateur K.R. Meera offering solidarity to the Collective, the WCC explained what went wrong and made it clear that the attacks had little effect on their activities. Their Facebook post read, “We are well-aware that an FB page rating doesn’t decide the credibility of an organisation. We deleted the online article we shared (written by Anand Kochukudy in DailyO) that had named many major male actors in the industry as there was a wide misunderstanding that it was ours. We deleted it as those opinions were not ours. It was not our intention to hurt anyone’s feelings. Such attacks won’t let us backtrack from our principles or activities (sic).” 

Published in Deccan Chronicle on January 5, 2018

A little bit of everything: Shruthi Vijayan

At the emergency medical department of a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, patients often wonder why youngsters gaze at the doctor in awe, talk to her excitedly and get their selfies clicked. The pretty medical officer, Shruthi Vijayan, admits that the excitement of ‘those cute moments’ of being recognised as a VJ, is contagious. 

“It’s very gratifying to hear young girls coming to me saying that I inspire them,” says the girl, who, apart from hosting three TV shows, runs a bridal boutique, works as a bridal makeup artist and a model, occasionally performs Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi and is an artist with a few published book covers to her credit. 

Call her a multi-tasker, Shruthi would say it comes from the genes. “Women are born multi-taskers. We just have to accept it. Everyone asks me how I do it all. It’s not that I am working 24x7. I have proper plans for every week. I am doctor for only 48 hours a week. TV anchoring comes only twice or three times a month. Modelling, bridal makeup and dancing are also not regular. The art part is what I dedicate very less time to,” she says. 

However, she gives the whole credit to her biggest support system – her family. Her dad, retired PWD official Vijayan, mother, businesswoman Prema, her retired teacher grandmother Agnes and her sister Smriti, an MBBS student, are all very supportive of this workaholic woman. 

A doctor on modeling assignments has a lot of negative stereotypical notions attached to it and Shruthi is glad that she could break it. “I have never known restrictions as a girl. My family raised me as a woman who is aware of her strength. In fact, it was my daddy who initiated me to feminism; he is the one who pushed me to do things confidently. Living in a house full of financially independent women too helped me. Even my 80-year-old grandmother has a steady source of income at this age. Now that I have 5-6 independent sources of income, I have financial freedom and I am comfortable in my space,” she says. 

Style quotient is something that came to her life very late. Till joining a Mangaluru college for MBBS, Shruthi was what she calls a naadan kutti and a nerd. “Mangaluru changed me and I became confident. I want other women to experience that confidence, which is why I ventured into bridal makeup and hold monthly grooming workshops for women, on how to do their hair, makeup and improve their dressing sense,” she says. 

An avid reader, Shruthi is inspired by anything written by women ‘who have broken the glass ceiling’. Interestingly, she confesses to not dreaming of herself as an actor. “I am not a movie buff at all and I’m notorious for not recognising celebrities,” she laughs, recalling how she once failed to recognise director Shaji Kailas. Shruthi says, “I can do anything but acting. My dream is to get into the influential category by the time I am 40. I don’t want to just exist and die. I want to be remembered as someone who, like everyone, had 24 hours a day, but did things 10 times better.”

 Published in Deccan Chronicle on December 27, 2017

Soccer hero from Nigeria

From the fifth floor of the apartment, the view of Kochi is splendid. “It’s a beautiful city,” says Samuel Abiola Robinson. The name might not ring a bell for Malayalis, but the film he is acting in would definitely spread a smile on their lips. The upcoming movie Sudani from Nigeria directed by debutant Zakariya will see Samuel in the title role along with Soubin Shahir. For movie buffs here, Samuel is a newbie, but back in his homeland Nigeria, he is a famous actor who has starred in several movies and TV series. 

“This is my 14th movie, but my first foreign movie,” he reveals. His 2016 film Green White Green, representing the iconic colours of Nigerian national flag, was such a huge hit that it went places, including the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. His ticket to fame was the web series Desperate Housewives of Africa. To play the footballer who is brought from Nigeria to Malappuram for the Sevens Tournament in his movie, Zakariya had tracked Samuel down with the help of a casting agency in Africa. 

However, busting the general perception that soccer comes natural to an African national, Samuel announced that he didn’t know how to play football. Laughing, he says, “I belong to the 0.001 per cent population of my country that is not interested in football.” But Kozhikode, where he stayed, and Malappuram, where the shoot happened, changed his perceptions about the game. “People there are in love with soccer. I underwent a week-long intense training and realised that once you get to know the game, you start enjoying it. It is like kanji; you’d be apprehensive when you are offered it for the first time, but once you know the taste, you can’t hate kanji,” he smiles. 

Shooting with Soubin, who plays the team manager Majeed, has been fun and a great learning experience. “Football is just the backdrop of the movie. It’s a humorous drama about the bond between Majeed and ‘Sudu’, an abbreviation of ‘Sudani’. With Soubin, I had great dynamics and I’m glad to have worked with him,” he says. The 35-day-long shoot was fun; it’s just Malayalam that was tricky. “It’s a very complicated language. The only Malayalam words I managed to learn are mathi (enough) and vellam (water),” he quips.

The way he speaks, the knowledge he shares, leave you baffled at the thought that Samuel is just 19, a teen who dropped out of school at 15 to pursue acting, but knows about everything. He admits to have an inquisitive mind. “I am more of a bookworm and love to learn new things every day,” he says. Before coming to Kerala, he did his bit of research and learned about Mollywood, the major actors and technicians. “I had the privilege of meeting filmmakers Anwar Rasheed and Amal Neerad. Though I tried watching a Malayalam movie starring Mammootty, I didn’t understand a word of it,” he adds. However, he hadn’t expected such high film literacy among Keralites. “I’m surprised that Malayalam is a very small industry in Indian cinema. Compared to Nollywood (Nigerian film industry), which has hardly 200 cinemas, Mollywood makes around 1,600 films every year and has theatres everywhere. In Nigeria, TV soaps are more popular than movies.” For Samuel, acting is something he chooses to stay in. “Many people ask me to pursue academics as Plan B just in case things don’t work in movies. Education is important, but I have no Plan B. Acting is always my Plan A,” he says. The shooting in Kerala has wrapped up; only a few portions to be shot in Nigeria are remaining. The dubbing is almost over and he will be going home on Sunday. “Kerala is a wonderful place; the people are very kind and friendly. It’s been a very pleasant experience and I would like to stay, but I have commitments back home. I would be coming back for the promotions in a few months,” he concludes.

 Published in Deccan Chronicle on December 8, 2017

The beardiest of em all

‘Men who got a Beard live colourful lives’: reads a post on the Instagram profile of Dhanil Kumar. The 27-year-old hasn’t been so much in love with anything and he takes care of his seven-and-a-half-inch-long beard with great affection. However, when he walked into the international Beard Off contest in the UAE, never had he imagined that he would emerge the winner by beating around 50 contestants from all over the world. “I was the only Indian participant. After the first two rounds, they announced the top 5 contestants and I was surprised to find my name on the list,” says Dhanil, who looks after his family business in Dubai while pursuing his modeling passion. Born and brought up in Dubai, this automobile engineering graduate has his roots in Neeleshwaram, Kasaragod, and is currently on a vacation in Kerala

An active blogger with an Instagram following of over 22,000, Dhanil came to know about Beard Off organised by British-run Lucky Voice Club in Dubai, through his friends. Having modeled for various international clothing brands, the Beard Off photo shoot was a cakewalk for him. The contest was based on the length, thickness and style of the beard and the length of the moustache; the opponents were quite strong. “In the last round of on-stage interview, I was pitched opposite nationals from the US, Germany, Norway and Saudi Arabia. The man from New York gave me a tough fight with his rugged beard with white patches. But luckily, it was my answer that impressed the judges,” he says. So, what was the question they asked? Chuckling, Dhanil reveals, “It was, what would I do if the girl I married asked me to get rid of my beard.” He didn’t have to think twice before replying ‘I’d say I won’t’, thus winning the title and a year-long contract with a top modeling agency along with free beard grooming for a year at a high-end salon there.

Dhanil had been growing his beard since 2015, long before the trend of no-shave November became popular among Malayalis. His well-groomed beard caught the attention of his friends, who encouraged him. What about his family? Laughing, he says, “Achan was chill, but Amma was a bit worried about what people would say. After I won the title, she is somewhat okay with it. My sister is someone who is least interested in ornaments or makeup. It’s me who sports earring, nose pin, chain and goes to the parlour and makes up for it. Believe me, maintaining a beard costs a bomb!” Anyone can grow a beard but maintaining it requires patience and effort, feels Dhanil. 

“Every week, I take oil, wax, cream and balm treatment for my beard. Since it is very hot in Dubai, every two days, I trim the split ends. In Kerala, I have seen many people growing beards, but they lack awareness on grooming,” he opines. 

His unique hairstyle too was designed to complement the beard. Bearded men are in much demand in the modeling world and so is Dhanil. “I have got offers from international clothing and beard oil brands. The fashion, modeling industry is currently very beard-friendly, unlike Kerala,” says the youngster, whose parents P.K. Nair and Dharani hail from Kasaragod. His experiences in Kerala have been very nightmarish. “Anywhere else in the world, beards are welcomed with admiration and respect. But here, even though it is my homeland, people look down upon beards and piercings and term us ‘freakans’ or ‘ganja guy’. Last time, when I accompanied my dad to a hospital, I was caught by the police from the hospital premises for sporting a beard,” he laughs. 

Now that he owns one of the most beautiful beards in the world, Dhanil could try his luck in movies too. He says, “With so many people bombarding me with selfies and congratulatory messages every day, I already feel like a celebrity!”

 Published in Deccan Chronicle on December 5, 2017

Tollywood calling Aish

 The film industry can't seem to get enough of Aishwarya Lekshmi. This model-turned actress will now star in a Telugu film.

It seems as though Aishwarya Lekshmi has consumed Felix Felicis, the magical luck potion that brings one fortune after fortune. The model-turned actress, who is romancing two most-admired stars — Nivin Pauly and Tovino Thomas — in two Malayalam films, has also bagged a lead role opposite Nandamuri Kalyan Ram in a Telugu movie. “Everything seems like a dream,” says the pretty lass, who is still excited. 

Her debut movie Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela, in which she is paired with Nivin, came to her as a casting call. “The makers were looking for girls to play Nivin’s heroine and sister. I went for the audition dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and sported a messy bun. Director Althaf C. Salim was instantly impressed. That was his vision for the character,” she says. She plays the role of a Bengaluru-based techie, who is happy-go-lucky, just like her. 

“I can easily gel with people. So the role didn’t need much homework. But, being my debut, it was difficult, especially the dubbing part,” she says. Njandu... also marks the return of yesteryear actress Shanthi Krishna to the big screen. All gaga about the actress, Aishwarya says, “You have to see her to believe how pretty she is. You can’t even stand anywhere near her. That’s how radiant she is. Though we had no combination scenes, we interacted a lot. She is a gem of a person.” The movie is expected to reach cinemas on September 1. 

In her second movie — Maya Nadhi, directed by Aashiq Abu and penned by Shyam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair, she portrays Tovino’s love interest. “Maya Nadhi came soon after Njandu. I auditioned twice, before being chosen. The shoot is so much fun and is a big training ground for a debutante like me. I am often unable to believe that I am working with legends like Shyam ettan. It’s so surreal. Everyone on the sets is so supportive and chill. Maya Nadhi is the best thing that has happened to me,” she explains. 

Interestingly, Maya Nadhi and the Telugu movie were offered to her on consecutive days. She didn’t have to think twice before grabbing them. Her parents were tense, especially after the recent controversy over the safety of actresses. “Dad used to accompany me to the sets. Soon, he realised there is nothing to worry about and now I am on my own,” says Aishwarya, who is also an MBBS student. Only the house surgency part is left now. Along with movies, she also wants to do higher studies. 

Right now, Aishwarya is in Chennai, busy with her Telugu coaching classes. She misses her Maya Nadhi crew. “I miss our pep talks between the shots and the fun moments.”

Published in Deccan Chronicle on July 24, 2017

All eyes on Aparna

Acting is not the only feather in Aparna Balamurali's cap. This girl, who played Jimsy in Maheshinte Prathikaram, can also sing!

Just three years and a handful of movies, yet it seems Aparna Balamurali has been here for a long time. As Jimsy from Maheshinte Prathikaram, she walked into the screen unnoticed and unpacked her bundle of talents. She first won us over with her acting and then with her sweet voice. It seems her first song, Bijibal’s composition, started the winning streak. The latest release Sunday Holiday marks her fifth movie as a singer; this time with a song composed by Deepak Dev. 

“It was so cool working with Deepak ettan,” says Aparna, adding, “The movie had four songs, all rendered by male singers and the makers felt it would be nice to have a female voice. Since they knew I sing, I was offered the chance and I grabbed it. I was very tense about working with such an experienced musician for such a beautiful song. But he was very encouraging and said I sang like a professional. That was a precious comment, coming from a musician of his stature.”

Without anybody noticing, Aparna crooned five melodies, including one in Tamil — all under different composers. The Maunangal song was followed by Thennal nilavinte composed by Shaan Rehman in Oru Muthassi Gadha, Vinnil theliyum by Anand Madhusoodanan for PaVa and now Deepak Dev’s Mazha Padum, the duet with Aravind Venugopal. The Tamil one ‘Mannippaya’ was from Ettu Thottakal, which marked her Kollywood debut as an actress. Laughing, she responds, “I have been very lucky. Singing Tamil was a tad difficult at first, but slowly I got the hang of it and it went well.” 

Music is in her genes. Her dad and mom are musicians. She has been learning music since childhood, first under Suma Pisharody and now under Karthika teacher. How does she rate herself as a singer? “I am not at all satisfied. I have a long way to go. My dream is to perform as a live singer without the help of any techniques used during recording,” she shares.

Music apart, she has two movies coming up — Thrissivaperur Kliptham and Sarvopari Palakkaran. In Sunday Holiday, which has opened to positive reviews, she plays Anu, an independent woman, opposite Asif Ali. 

Movies have changed Aparna’s life a lot, especially in terms of privacy. “I know it is people’s love, but you won’t always be in a mood for selfies. As a human being, you too have mood swings and sometimes say ‘no’. People might take it as arrogance, but that’s not the case,” she states. But there is one place where she is totally at ease – her college in Palakkad where she is a third-year B. Arch student who hangs out with her gang of friends. “There, I am just like any other student, not an actress,” she smiles.

 Published in Deccan Chronicle on July 16, 2017

Aluva's latest shining star

Dheeraj Denny, the latest member of a tribe of talented actors from Aluva, talks about his upcoming films.

It seems Aluva has replaced Thiruvananthapuram as the seedbed of M-town’s best. This little town has gifted the industry a huge breed of talents ranging from the Kalabhavan-groomed Dileep, N.F. Varghese and Zainudeen, to latest league of Nivin Pauly, Alphonse Puthren, Siju Wilson, Shabareesh Varma, and Sharafuddeen. The Aluva gang is getting a new entrant called Dheeraj Denny, who is making his debut with not one, but two movies - Sunil Ibrahim’s Y and Abhiram Suresh Unnithan’s Himalayathile Kashmalan. 

Interestingly, both movies are not hero-centric; the lead roles are played by a bunch of newcomers. "But I am fortunate enough to have bagged two diametrically opposite characters," begins Dheeraj, with his dimpled smile. In the suspense thriller Y, he portrays a city guy Arun, who works in an MNC, whereas Himalayathile Kashmalan will see him in the role of a simpleton politician sporting white khadi.

Though a debutant, his face appears very familiar. When asked about it, Dheeraj flashes his dimples again saying, “I have been into modelling since college days and was the face of several brands.” From a theatre-smitten schoolboy, he became a ramp model, which was his only option to stay in the limelight as his college had no space for plays. He walked the ramp for various fashion events and became active in modelling. When a job offer came, he took it up and left for Bengaluru, leaving his heart behind, yearning to be back in the spotlight. 

Soon, he got a call from his friend Vishnu Pradeep who asked Dheeraj to act in his debut short film Engane Thudangum. Dheeraj didn’t think twice and when it came out, appreciations poured in, boosting his confidence. Three-and-a-half years passed with Dheeraj shuttling between his job and passion. Finally, he took a call and chose to stay with acting. He went on to star in short films like Oru Cinemamohi. It was then he came across the casting call for Y and sent his entry. He was called for the audition and later to the acting camp. 

Dheeraj says, “The movie is about three incidents happening over two hours in real time. It’s a gripping, fast-paced narration. The shoot was a great learning platform. I was surprised with director Sunil’s eye for detail; nothing missed his sight, despite the movie having no script.” No script? “You wouldn’t believe. We were just told about the situation and reacted accordingly,” he says, adding that being newbies, the shoot was total fun. The only senior actor in Y was Alencier Ley, who played a cop. “During our combination scenes, his grace was so contagious that you automatically react to his performance. You can’t make a wrong move. That is the perk of working with a senior artiste,” he says. 

Himalayathile Kashmalan — Dheeraj’s next — is directed by his Y co-star Abhiram. Most of the cast were a part of Y. In a role totally different from that of Arun, Dheeraj plays a Youth Congress member in a village. “I observed a lot of politicians and learned the Thiruvananthapuram slang. It’s a slapstick comedy about how a group of fools make a mountain out of a molehill. As the tagline says, it is the story of a bunch of idiots,” he says with a laugh. 

As the movies gear up for release, Dheeraj is in talks for a couple of projects. Hopeful about his upcoming movies, Dheeraj shares, “For both my movies, the whole shooting happened at night. Literally, I am yet to see daylight!”

 Published in Deccan Chronicle on July 9, 2017 

Yours faithfully, Roshan

Roshan Mathew, who plays the title role in P.T. Kunju Mohammed'sVishwasapoorvam Mansoor, shares his shooting experiences.

At the centre of P.T. Kunju Muhammed's films is always empathy. At some point in the film, the boundaries between actors and viewers disappear and everything becomes one single reality — you weep, smile and burst out with the characters. It's the dream of any actor to star in the movie of one of the finest directors of parallel cinema. Three-films-old Roshan Mathew, who portrays the titular role in the director's upcoming movie Vishwasapoorvam Mansoor, says he could identify with his character of Mansoor, a wannabe filmmaker, very well.

Roshan finds it his most satisfying role. “I had expected a serious atmosphere on the sets, but PT sir had a very inclusive style of working. He considers everyone's opinion and gives his inputs before deciding on any shot or scene. It was a great learning platform,” says Roshan, who has earlier acted in Puthiya Niyamam, Adi Kapyare Koottamani and the most lauded role of Varun in Anandam. 

The movie saw him sharing screen space with senior artistes Zarina Wahab and Asha Sharath, who acts as Mansoor's mother Fathibi. “Asha chechi is the most positive and cheerful person I have met. Playing the mother and son, we shared a great chemistry both on and off screen. It was great working with her. For Zarina ma'm, it's my personal regret that we didn't have many scenes together. A brilliant actress, she knows exactly what the scene requires. It was much fun with her around. Though very professional, she can transform into a complete prankster if she wants to,” laughs the actor, who romances Prayaga Martin in the movie. “Prayaga and I got along really well. Being the one with more experience before camera, she used to give suggestions for improvisations during rehearsals,” he recalls. 

The trailer gives a peek into the theme of the movie — there's drama, romance, politics, violence and religion. What exactly is the film all about? “The movie is about how the beautiful, small world of a young man and his mother changes as two guests come into their life. It also deals with the aftermath of communal violence. There is no antagonist. It's not a conventional movie, but is not serious and dark too. I will call it a realistic film,” opines Roshan, who is also awaiting the release of Kadam Katha and Matchbox. 

P.T Kunju Muhammed had, in an interview, stated that Roshan had immense potential of becoming a super star. “Coming from a director of his stature, I am humbled by those words.I could bring out my best because of his support. We used to engage in discussions till I got the hang of Mansoor. P.T sir's characters are well-defined and have proper background. He also communicates very gently and has an exact idea of what he wants from each person in the cast and crew,” he says. The movie will hit the screens on Saturday. “I'm definitely tensed about the movie getting due attention among the commercial entertainers, but I have no doubt about its quality. It's an excellent one.”

Published in Deccan Chronicle on June 22, 2017

Aishwarya Rai or airbrushed doll?

 Just months ago did the whole world go gaga over Priyanka Chopra’s ‘unrealistic’ armpits in a photo that appeared on a magazine cover. The crease-free armpit caught the eye of many, forcing the actor to finally respond by tweeting a no-filter photograph of her armpits. And now, the flawless photographs of the ravishing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan remind us of the ‘armpit gate’.

As part of the latest photoshoot for L'Oréal advertisement, ahead of her customary Cannes appearance, two photographs of the 43-year-old actress have been released. The actor poses for photographer Prasad Naik in a baby pink dress for one photo and a shimmery grey gown for another. Though she looks gorgeous in the first photograph, one can’t help but notice the plastic look on her face — more like a frozen painting — on the second one. Sporting an open hair, light make-up and plum pink lipstick, she resembled the Kardashians to an extent, felt many, whereas some felt she looked ‘scary’. Why is the otherwise stunning actor Photoshopped to ‘perfection’ — if that’s what they call this? Why are natural looks being killed as part of marketing?

Celebrity photographers are of the opinion that airbrushing is just standard procedure. “I think it’s just a natural progression. Though there is a trend to keep pictures natural, there is also a desire among people to look flawless and perfect, which is capitalised by market. You wouldn’t want to see a face with too many pimples on a magazine, right? Earlier, we used to overexpose photographs to make the faces look flawless. Now, we can manage to achieve it using Photoshop. So it’s all about marketing,” says ace photographer Subi Samuel. Fashion photographer Dabboo Ratnani, too, agrees with him, but feels that ads shouldn’t go overboard with touch-ups.

“Airbrushing is a requirement these days. All photos need to be Photoshopped. Again it’s up to the photographer to decide how far you want to go. I usually keep my touch-ups very minimal and real. But I feel you shouldn’t overdo it. Airbrushing according to the needs of the image without making it appear artificial would be fine,” feels Ratnani.

Whatever be the case, we feel it’s high time our actors follow the Kate Winslet route — the Oscar-winning actress has a no-Photoshop clause in her contract with L'Oréal. In her own words, “I’d rather be the woman they’re saying ‘She’s looking older’ about than ‘She’s looking stoned’.”

(Published in Deccan Chronicle on May 14, 2017)