Playing John Paul without dialogues was not easy: Devendranath Sankaranarayanan on his role in Rekhachithram

Actor and acting trainer Devendranath Sankaranarayanan played John Paul, one of Malayalam’s beloved writers, in the Asif Ali-starrer Rekhachithram. Devendranath says he was approached by the film’s writer John Manthrickal after the latter had seen his performance in Pada. “He said, ‘I see John Paul in you.’ I was told that I wouldn’t have any dialogues and would appear at a crucial point in the film. Playing John Paul without dialogues was not easy as the way he talked is very familiar to everyone. It was also difficult to get a sense of the John Paul of 1984, the year he shows up in the film’s story. So, I had to reach out to people who knew him back then, and figure out even the way he held the pen. I also gained some weight for the role,” he says.

The feedback, especially from people who personally knew John Paul, has been immense, shares Devendranath. “Even though I have done many roles before with more screen time, this one has struck a chord with people, especially those who knew John Paul sir in his younger days. They asked me, ‘How did you figure out this John Paul that only we knew?’” he recalls.

Stating that establishing a character within mere seconds is “not an easy feat”, he admits, “It was very challenging, and I worked on shaping it for months.”

‘Playing John Paul without dialogues was not easy’
Talking about the increased focus on acting workshops prior to filming in Mollywood, Devendranath says, “Almost anyone can act. But only true actors can make it look like they aren’t acting. In any project, the first step is to work as a group. Then, the performances should become competitive. If we aren’t updated, there will be no space in the competition. Actors are now willing to work on their performances, and don’t go like, ‘I am an actor now, it’s done’ (no more room for honing skills). For Mura, I trained the actors. All of them were newcomers. My job was to bring them to the same level. When we do such workshops, the cast and crew will be in the same space. These workshops also help reduce the time for filming. They give acting training, and an idea about shots and scenes to everyone on the team.”
Speaking about how he is open to all sort of characters, no matter the length, he said, "I studied theatre. I take classes, too. I teach the same that I have been taught — no character is unnecessary. It’s not about the screen time, but the screen space; it’s about establishing the character in that limited time."

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