'It’s easy to get me convinced about a film'

The film Maheshinte Prathikaaram could very well pave the way for a career rebirth for actor Fahadh Faasil, who fetched accolades for his portrayal as the eponymous hero in Dileesh Pothen’s comedy-drama. The actor though nonchalantly brushes off the comeback compliments.
“It’s all part of the game. If you notice, you can see that all my films have been experimental.So it’s like flipping a coin,” he says. The Bangalore Days actor had gone through a similar phase at the beginning of his career, after his debut film Kaiyethum Doorathu tanked at the box office. About returning to the industry seven years after the debacle, the actor says, “I was blank. I just did it. I was never somebody who had a plan. Whether things work or not, I don’t lose hope. I went through that cycle once and may be Maheshinte Prathikaaram is the start of the second cycle for me.”
Post the success of the movie, is there a difference to the roles coming his way? “All that is secondary,” Fahadh interrupts. “I need to feel the rush to do a movie. It’s actually very simple, the way I work. In fact, it’s actually easy to get me convinced about a film.”
The actor says he has always gone by his gut instinct while choosing his movies and has not regretted it. Referring to his first release of the year, Abi Varghese’s Monsoon Mangoes, which received a lukewarm response at the box office, Fahadh says, “It’s a film that really got me excited. I liked the way it was made. There could have been more clarity but all of us realised it only after the movie released.
Whatever misfired in that film, we take complete responsibility. I really loved working with its director Abi Varghese and look forward to doing another film with him. I can be wrong but I am never in doubt when it comes to my films.”
The Amen actor also says the each film has been a learning experience for him regardless of its fate at the box office. “I am not the kind of guy who discusses cinema all the time. But I hang around people who make movies and learn in the process,” he says. Does that mean he has plans to venture behind the camera like his father Fazil? “I am not saying no. But I don’t think it’s time for me to say yes either,” says Fahadh. Right now, he makes it clear that his focus is acting and he is keen to take up “some fun roles”. “There is a big space for good cinema. Our box office has started expanding and our movies are going out of Kerala. So, it’s a great time to be part of the industry,” he says.
But is he worried about competition from fellow actors? “I think there is space for everyone,” he observes. “The kind of films we all do are different. I can’t do what Prithvi or Nivin or Dulquer does. It’s about identifying what you can do and doing it well. I think everybody is doing a pretty neat job right now.”
Fahadh’s next project will be with Anwar Rasheed, which has a “novel subject”. “I am also in talks with a few other friends as well, but it’s too early to talk about those movies,” he signs off.