Aaha actor Nitin Thomas is ‘here to stay’

Nitin Thomas played Pakaan Biju, a tug-of-war competitor in sports film Aaha. In his career as an actor too, Nitin has the same unwavering passion. “I am here to stay,” says the actor, who has roles in debut director Shaajahan’s Jameelayude Poovan Kozhi and Rosshan Andrrews-Dulquer Salman movie Salute to look forward to.
Speaking about his Aaha experience, Nitin says that it has been quite a journey.The acting bug bit him when he featured in the short films that his college mates made as part of their assignments at St Joseph College of Communication, in Changanacherry. “Though they roped him into all their projects, I felt I was too introverted to be an actor,” says Nitin. It was only when he casually mentioned to a friend in advertising that this was a dream he nurtured, that his friend coaxed him to push himself and scout for offers.

“I went to hundreds of auditions and I feel that they have helped build my confidence in performing and speaking in front of others. It has really boosted me up,” he says. And when Bibin Paul Samuel, also a college mate, was set to direct Aaha, Nitin lost no time in asking for a role.

“Bibin had a clear picture of each character’s look. I am glad he picked me for a role. It was such a great experience working on a film with seniors like Indrajith and Manoj K Jayan. They were very inclusive and supportive of the junior artists during the shoot, and brought a good energy to the set,” he says.

Nitin shares an incident during the shoot in Vagamon which boosted his confident. He had never driven a 4-wheel but he had to drive up a steep cliff and at first Indrajith seemed doubtful about who might do it. “We had a trial and it went smoothly. I asked Indrettan and he said it went well, so I felt good and confident,” he says.
Nitin hopes to take on leading roles, and is confident about his skills in fight sequences. “I like doing them and feel that I do them well. As an actor, we have to always develop our skills and I wrote and made a short video to try out my comic timing. I sent it to a few friends and people in the industry, and they appreciated it and said, ‘you have proven that you are a well-rounded actor now’. I am willing to take on any challenge to prove this,” says Nitin.