The
Malayalam
maverick
Mohanlal
is
all
set
to
do
a
full-on
action
scene
with
Jackie
Chan.
The
film
in
Japanese
called
Nair
San
directed
by
Keralite,
Albert,
is
based
on
a
real-life
character.
And
Mohanlal
learnt
Japanese
for
the
role.
He
now
steps
into
the
action
arena
for
an
action
scene
with
Jackie
Chan
who
makes
a
special
appearance
in
Nair
San.
Says
Mohanlal,
"Jackie
Chan
appears
in
a
major
action
sequence
with
me.
I'm
trying
to
physically
prepare
for
the
role.
I've
already
shot
for
about
150
days
for
Nair
San
in
Japan
and
Mongalia.
I'm
the
first
actor
from
Malyalam
cinema
to
feature
in
a
Japanese
film.
I've
to
speak
not
only
in
Japanese,
but
also
in
Chinese
and
Mongolian."
Nair
San
will
be
subtitled
in
English
and
released
all
over
the
world.
The
action
scene
with
Jackie
Chan
will
be
shot
in
Mongolia.
Says
Mohanlal,
"Nair
was
an
Indian
freedom
fighter.
I've
met
the
man.
He
owns
a
chain
of
restaurants.
I've
been
to
his
restaurant
in
Tokyo.
And
he
has
been
to
my
home
in
Kerala.
He
passed
away
at
the
age
of
85-86.
I
feel
very
privileged
to
be
playing
Nair."
Though
Kamal
Haasan
got
Hong
Kong's
superstar
Jackie
Chan
to
come
for
a
music
release
in
Chennai,
no
Indian
male
actor
has
had
the
privilege
of
sharing
screen
space
with
Jackie
Chan.
Laughs
Mohanlal,
"Like
I
said,
I'm
lucky.
Nair
San
will
definitely
get
wide
release
in
Japan."
Interestingly,
Mohanlal's
southern
colleague
Rajnikanth
is
a
craze
in
Japan.
Speaking
on
the
failure
of
Rajnikanth's
new
film
Kuselan,
Mohanlal
observes,
"Actors
like
Kamal
Haasan
and
Rajnikanth
are
larger
than
life.
They
cannot
be
accepted
in
guest
roles.
I
can
get
away
with
small
cameos,
off
beat
roles,
walk-on
parts
anything.
I'm
playing
a
90-
year
old
man
in
a
new
film.
There're
some
actors
in
this
country
like
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Chiranjeevi,
Kamal
Haasan
and
Rajnikanth
who
are
beyond
success
and
failure.
They're
blessed
people.
If
you
say
I
am
one
of
them
then
I
too
am
blessed."
Mohanlal's
new
Malayalam
release
Akashagoparam
is
the
first
film
that
language
to
be
based
on
an
Ibsen
play.
"I
can
tell
you
this
much.
Ibsen
at
this
point
of
time
couldn't
be
done
in
any
other
language
but
Malayalam.
I'm
fortunate
to
have
done
it.
As
an
actor
it's
my
job
to
do
the
best
of
the
roles
I
get.
However,
the
roles
have
to
come
to
me.
I
can't
go
after
the
roles."
Says
the
softspoken
actor,
"It
was
the
director
K
P
Kumaran's
dream
for
twenty
years.
He
had
been
pursuing
me
for
fifteen
years
to
do
a
screen
adaptation
of
Ibsen's
play.
I
finally
agreed.
Ibsen's
The
Master
Builder
is
a
complicated
play.
I've
done
stage
plays
including
a
play
in
Sanskrit.
But
Ibsen
is
tough.
However,
I
treated
the
film
like
any
other.
I
play
an
architect.
Changes
were
made.
For
example,
my
character's
Norwegian
name
was
changed
for
the
Indian
audience."
Mohanlal
has
also
finished
a
war
film
Kuruskshetra
on
the
Kargil
war.
"It's
a
major
film."
About
his
last
aborted
foray
in
Bollywood,
Mohanlal
says
he
has
no
regrets
about
doing
Ram
Gopal
Varma's
Aag.
"People
just
pounced
on
Ramu.
They
forgot
how
much
he
has
achieved
in
the
past.
Such
things
happen.
In
fact,
Priyadarshan
has
just
offered
me
a
role
in
a
Hindi
film
to
be
done
in
the
middle
of
next
year.
I
get
a
lot
of
Hindi
films.
But
they
don't
interest
me.
But
I'll
do
Priyan's
film.
It's
12-13
day
film.
It
isn't
a
conventional
Hindi
film.
It
has
a
message
on
AIDS.
Priyan
is
returning
to
his
roots.
He
recently
did
a
fantastic
Malayalam
film
called
Kanjeevaram.
I
was
supposed
to
do
it.
But
I
couldn't.
Now
I'm
looking
forward
to
working
with
him
and
to
doing
a
Hindi
film."
Story first published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 14:12 [IST]