I have stumbled, fallen a thousand times: Aryan

Aryan (aka Santosh) calls his last decade as part of the film industry one that has challenged him at every step and with every role – both on screen and off it. “Over the last 10 years, I have stumbled and fallen down a thousand times. Yet, I’m self-made. Actor, anchor, model, celebrity contestant – I juggled all these roles. Now, I want to slow down and focus on my skills,” he says.

After a decade in the industry, his next film, Bhavani Files, will see him not just as an actor but also donning the role of a creative director. “I consider this baby steps towards unveiling myself as a director, which I believe will happen in the next ten years,” shares Aryan.

He adds, “I wrote this story a year ago after being fascinated by the story of the 14th-century cult called Thuggees (Thugs). It’s a community that still exists today and they worship goddess Bhavani. Hence, the film is called Bhavani Files. The protagonist of the film, played by me, is a RAW agent.”

For the love of storytelling
The world of cinema opened up for Aryan after the OTT boom. “I was a boy who watched movies on VHS cassettes. But ever since OTT platforms came up, I realised there are so many ways of telling a story. That made me write short stories and casually discuss it with my peers. I’m happy and proud that I’m a good storyteller who can engage people,” he says, adding that a team of writers including director Jacob Varghese has come on board for the completion of the screenplay.

However, Aryan doesn’t consider filmmaking the way forward. “I plan to continue writing but I’m going to remain an actor. This is just an add-on, which I’m doing for the love of cinema. My inspiration comes from all the new generation of directors like Rakshit and Rishabh, anyone who can handle a good script.”

All about the details
Aryan is sure of the kind of stories he wants to tell. “The stories in my mind are not carried by the protagonist alone. I’m mindful that the hero should be just a part of the cinema and not the entire cinema. My school is Malayalam films. They are all about the details and make sure that even a chaiwala in the film has a character. I have grown up watching Malayalam classics and that’s my foundation when I’m thinking of a story or writing one.”