'I prefer watching a classic over recent movies'

Chemban Vinod attributes his versatility as an actor to being a movie aficionado. The actor, who has been stealing the show in character roles, says, “I have got my childhood friend Lijo Jose Pellissery to thank, for introducing me to the world of cinema.”Despite being part of several so called new-generation movies, the actor says he prefers watching classic Malayalam movies."If a recent movie and a film released in 80s or 90s are playing on TV channels, I would always watch the old one,” he says. “It could be the nostalgia factor or because the scenes and characters in it were more realistic and interesting. Even the performances of actors were spellbinding.” Clarifying his choice, Chemban says, “It is not that contemporary films do not have quality, but my generation had films as the only entertainment. Now, it is an era of information overflow. It is tough to make the audience laugh or even convince them of certain ideas. The world has become very small thanks to technology. Also, we tend to forget films easily in this fast-paced world,” he says. The actor is now busy with the shoot of Darwinte Parinamam, which has Prithviraj in the lead. “I play the antagonist in the movie but it’s very different from anything I have done so far. It’s not the usual clichéd villain who glares and fires guns at will. The one I play has a romantic side and also has his fun in the movie,” he says, adding it’s the first time he would be essaying a full-length negative role.