Actor Thampy Antony to play seven characters in Eelam; one is a bisexual

Actor Thampy Antony, who has starred in many films, including Celluloid, Kalimannu and ABCD, is trying something unique in his latest project.


In upcoming film Eelam, directed by

Vinod Krishna

, he plays seven characters, one of which is bisexual. The film is based on a story written by the director.

The actor says "I had read Vinod's story in a publication, liked it and wrote a review on it. Vinod came across this and contacted me. Apparently, he had my face in mind while writing the central character of the story. For the film too, he needed someone who could be moulded from a 35 to 65-year-old man, as all those stages are explored for the central character, and felt I would fit the bill."

As for the bisexual character in the film, the actor doesn't want to divulge much at this point. But ask how comfortable he was to play the role, and he says, "I have been settled in San Francisco, which is known as the gay capital of the world, for many years. I am quite used to watching LGBTQ parades and interacting with people of the community. So, I didn't feel awkward about it at all. Even in our country, the winds of change are visibly blowing and I don't think it should matter at all. I have seen members of the LGBTQ community frequenting even our film festivals. Moreover, let a change of attitude come in on the big screen."

Director Vinod says the film's story is set in a bar. "It unfolds in a day's time, and characters aren't given any names. We use a green colour palate in the film. Everyone wears different shades of green as costumes. The locations were Kochi and San Francisco."

Eelam is a social drama, which also stars Kavitha Nair in a major role. Ramesh Narayan is the composer of the film, which is just about 90 minutes long.