Director's actor

LIZA GEORGE

Vinay is driven by his passion for cinema and theatre.

This guy from Fort Kochi created a ripple in Shyamaprasad's ‘Ritu.' Although the movie had him starring in just two or three scenes, his role as Jamal had the audience sit up and take note of this young actor. His next release, Sibi Malayalil's ‘Apoorva Ragam,' created waves. In the role of Narayanan, Vinay with his bold, bald look won accolades.

“I think people appreciated the role because it was realistic. Narayanan is not portrayed as the bad guy right from the start,” says Vinay, an alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.

Although he became a familiar face through ‘Ritu' and ‘Apoorva Ragam,' Vinay has also starred in ‘Chatak,' a Hindi film by Reema Borah in which Vinay plays a South Indian who is swept towards terrorism and Anup Kurian's ‘The Hunt,' which had Vinay working with Naseeruddin Shah.

‘The Hunt'

“I just had three of four scenes in ‘The Hunt.' And though Naseeruddin sir and I shot together for four days, it was only later during the golden jubilee celebration of FTII that I gathered courage to speak to him. He was affable and gave me tips on acting,” says Vinay. He also had a role as a terrorist in Dr. Biju's ‘Veettilekkulla Vazhi,' starring Prithviraj.

“Actually I did have a substantial role in the movie but the dates for the shoot of ‘Veettilekkulla Vazhi' clashed with that of ‘Jayakumaran Thirakattai,' a Tamil film directed by Sharat Haridas. So I had to settle for a smaller role,” says Vinay who is eager to experiment with roles.

“I'm mouldable. However, post ‘Apoorva Ragam,' most of the roles that have been coming my way is that of a villain. I don't mind playing one if the role is realistic,” says Vinay who adds that it was his co-star Nishan in ‘Ritu,' his senior at FTII, who encouraged him to contact Syamaprasad for a role in the movie.

The experience while shooting for ‘Ritu,' says Vinay, is unforgettable. “Syamaprasad sir is an actor's director. He knows how to bring out the best in the actor. He is also open to suggestions. When I asked him if I could portray the character of a gay my way, through minute details like look, expressions, gesture…, he was open to it. Before a scene was shot, he explained the scene and what he expected from the actor in that scene. It was great working with him as it was with Sibi sir, whom I have always wanted to work with.”

It was Alexi Kurian, a production controller of ‘Apoorva Ragam' who pushed Vinay to meet Sibi. “I knew Nishan and Asif were already cast in the movie and went to meet Sibi sir thinking I would probably get a bit role in the film. I was surprised when he gave me the role of Narayanan. In fact, people have started recognising me on the streets through ‘Apoorva Ragam,'” says Vinay who has roots in theatre.

Theatre

“I love theatre. In fact I was into theatre even as a kid through Balasangam's Venalthumbikal. I have acted in a couple of plays by Lokadharmi: ‘Karnabharam,' ‘Poranadi,' ‘Medea'… However, it is not fame, money or stardom that I seek. I want to act, play different kinds of roles,” says Vinay who will be shooting for V.K. Pratap's ‘Karma Yogi' soon. “I play a guy called Koman in the movie. I liked the way the character sounded and am looking forward to the shoot.”

Note; Courtesy Friday Hindu.Sept 10, 2010