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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Roshan Mathew: Kuruthi Was A Very Rewarding Experience For Me!
Kuruthi, the socio-political drama that features Prithviraj Sukumaran and Roshan Mathew in the lead roles, has been released on Amazon Prime Video. The movie, which is directed by Manu Warrier, has been receiving immense love from the audiences for the brilliant portrayal of a sensitive topic. If things follow at the same rate, Kuruthi is definitely going to earn the OTT blockbuster tag, soon.
In an exclusive tete-a-tete with Filmibeat, Roshan Mathew, who plays the role of Ibrahim in Kuruthi, opened up about his experiences on working in the project, teaming up with Prithviraj Sukumaran for the second time, and much more...
Excerpts from the chat:
1. You are an actor who has always surprised the audiences with your character choices. What can we expect from your character in Kuruthi?
You can definitely expect a lot of surprises from Kuruthi, but not all of those come from me. My character Ibrahim is basically someone who lost the most loved members of his family in a very recent tragedy. He is still recovering from that. He is still struggling to find a will to keep on living, and that is where Kuruthi begins. And the events that happen in the movie sort of help him discover that.
2. Roshan, the actor is well-known for the portrayal of flawed, layered characters. Are you more inclined towards grey-shaded or dark characters?
I don't go out looking for dark characters. But I feel like I relate to flawed characters a lot more because that's how people are. So it is not really the love for flawed characters, as much as it is the love for people (laughs). It just feels a lot more real to me. When it is real, it feels believable and it is a lot more accessible also.
3. Ibrahim is a character that is completely different from the roles that you have played in the past. Was it challenging to play a character that is older than your age, and belongs to an entirely new space?
Ibrahim is a few years elder to me, but that is not where the challenges come from. The challenge comes from the fact that his life has been so different. A couple of years of difference in age doesn't really matter to me. The greying around his temples is not because of his age; it is just because of the amount of stress he is in, I guess.
Every movie is different, and every character is challenging. Similarly, Ibrahim was challenging in many ways. But when you work with a great team, they sort of making it so much fun for you that you are coming in with a good deal of energy, feeling very positive, and enjoying what you are doing. That helps you take up whatever challenges that come, and you'll do your best.
4. Kuruthi garnered the attention of viewers right from the release of its teaser, with some very well-shot action sequences. Will this film redefine how action films are conceived in Malayalam cinema?
It is my first out-and-out action film, so I lack a little bit of perspective on that. But I can say that I found the action sequences in Kuruthi to be very original and a lot of fun. I really enjoy doing them, and I hope they are as fun to watch on screen.
5. Kuruthi was shot in a very short span of time, on a schedule that lasted for 24 days. How difficult was it to shoot the film amidst the pandemic restrictions?
The pandemic restrictions stopped bothering us once we started filming or never filtered into the actors. I wasn't uncomfortable because of anything that was happening due to the pandemic. We were in our own bubble and we were in our own world shooting the film.
And when it comes to the film being shot fast - yes it was very hectic, it was physically and emotionally draining. But we were also going in a great momentum. And it was a fun shoot. And the made pace we were going sort of added to the energy. It is definitely a complicated film to have been shot in 24 days. But I think, because we had that much fun doing it, it didn't feel tiring.
6. Kuruthi has a highly promising star cast, including Prithviraj Sukumaran, Mamukoya, Murali Gopy, and others. How was the experience of sharing the screen with such a supremely talented cast?
It was lovely. They are all actors who I've always wanted to work with. Including Prithviraj, since we finished our first film together - Koode. It was in every way a very rewarding experience, even though I went in with such high expectations from all of my co-actors. That's slightly unfair on them, but they still really impressed me. They were all extremely comfortable to work with.
They were all actors who keep surprising you, including Sagar who is doing his first film. That is great when you are playing a scene and they double the impact. They keep the energy and focus in the right place. Making the film was a lovely experience and I had such great equations with all of my co-actors. Since we've started the promotions - when I'm talking about them, thinking about the shoot, seeing them virtually in a couple of events, I really miss them now. I really wish that we could all get together and watch Kuruthi together.
7. You had a fantastic camaraderie with Prithviraj Sukumaran in Koode. How does it feel to join hands with him once again, for Kuruthi?
I was looking forward to more films with Prithviraj. And generally, when you tell to wait and when you get your expectations up, it is difficult to come back happy and excited. But Kuruthi was a very rewarding experience for me. It was great working with Prithvi again.
Both of us were there from the first day of Kuruthi till the last day. Day-in and day-out, I saw him getting almost everything right - I'm not just talking about what he does in front of the camera. It is about how he keeps his basics in place, how he treats his co-actors or anyone else in the crew, and how much he relies on the immense amount of clarity he has about how the film is going to come out.
Usually, as an actor, when you are working you have a certain amount of clarity about your character and your character's journey. But Prithviraj is very gifted in that way - he is also a filmmaker. And he is always multi-tasking. It always feels like both of those people are at work - Prithvi, the actor, and Prithvi, the maker. And there is fabulous sync between those two. And more than anything, I feel he really enjoys each and every shot he does, even after having done these many films. It sorts of makes you wish for the same as you go forward. If I ever get to where Prithvi is, I wish that I have the same kind of passion and joy out of what I do.
8. The OTT wave has pushed the creative boundaries of Malayalam cinema, with a whole new level of global exposure. How does that influence the making of Kuruthi?
I don't think a platform or a particular medium of release really influenced the making of Kuruthi. It hasn't happened with any project I have worked on. Of course, there are some films that come in now, where they've pre-decided that they are going to try it and release it on an OTT platform. And some come pre-decided with the notion that no matter what we will wait for a theatrical release.
But either way, you will end up making the film you have to make. With Kuruthi, the best thing for us was to try and make the best possible version of the script that we had in hand. What medium that it is going to be eventually viewed on did not really influence what we were doing.
9. Kuruthi is the Malayalam directorial debut of Manu Warrier. How was the experience of working with him?
Firstly, Manu Warrier is also a writer. So, he has a great understanding of the script and the characters. He has clarity of every moment that has in the script. And Manu has a great equation with Anish Pallyal, the writer of Kuruthi. I have always seen them together, and they are a unit for me. I think they worked really well with each other. They also caught up very well with the pace at which the film was getting made. At no point did we have to slow down.
Manu is also very precise and gentle with the way that he puts the suggestions across. He gives you just what he should be thinking about and nothing more. He sort of really lets you play with it and just nudges you along as you do that. I had a very comfortable time working with Manu. And it did not feel like he came in from a different industry, everybody just sorts of belonged.
10. What do you have to say to the audiences about Kuruthi?
I hope they have as much fun watching the film, as we had, making it. I hope it is a very exciting, unconventional Onam film to watch.
11. Can you please share about your future projects?
I just wrapped my Bollywood project Darlings. I have a couple of films in Malayalam that we started before the last lockdown, which I'm going to go back to and hopefully wrap up very soon. Both are exciting projects. One is with Asif Ali, and it is named Kotthu - directed by Sibi Malayil sir. The other one is called Liquor Island with Suraj Venjaramoodu. There are also a couple of films waiting to start in Malayalam. Hopefully, once things start clearing, we'll start working on them.
Amazon Prime Video released Kuruthi on August 11th, on the first day of Onam - Kerala's biggest festival. Since its release, the film is being lauded by critics and audiences all across the country. The cast and makers of the movie have been receiving incessant appreciation for their work.
Overwhelmed by all the positive reactions that Kuruthi is getting, lead actor Roshan Mathew took to social media and said "Thank you all for the overwhelming amount of love. And for bothering to reach out with your thoughts and opinions. Kuruthi was always special, but you've made it even more precious. Moosa Khader and family (neighbours included) will always be grateful."
The actor also shared some amazing BTS images with the note. See it here:
