In M’wood, everyone behaves like actors, not stars: Nassar

He is an actor who has stood out from the rest, be it in his unique facial features or through the characters he has played, whether as the Asst.Commissioner of Police in Nayakan or as Sulaiman Seth in Vietnam Colony. Veteran actor Nassar doesn’t need an introduction to Malayalis, with some of his recent movies being Oppam, Aby, Vismayam and Baahubali. Nassar is back to Malayalam now with Abhasam (Arsha Bharata Samskaram) directed by Jubith Namradat. He does the role of a police officer yet again in the film, which has Suraj Venjaramoodu, Alencier and Rima Kallingal in the lead roles.

So what made him pick this film? “I play a police officer posted on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, and so I was comfortable with the way I speak Malayalam in the film. Also, the script as well as the movie making process was quite interesting. The entire story happens in a moving bus, and the crew are all young with a new outlook altogether. Workshops were held for the new actors,” he says.

The actor says that he actually would have done a lot more Malayalam films but missed out on many good movies owing to date clashes. Nassar also harbours a dream of directing a Malayalam film sometime, though not immediately. And the reason? “I love everything about Kerala, be it the food, or the literature or the films. Everyone is a good actor here. More than that, they are professional and don’t throw tantrums. They don’t carry an aura of stardom; whether it’s Fahadh Faasil or Dulquer Salmaan, they behave like actors, not like stars. It will be very comfortable for a director to handle them, unlike in Tamil or Telugu.”

However, he is quick to add that making Malayalam films is also very challenging. “In Tamil we claim to do realistic films but in essence they are melodramatic. But in Malayalam a realistic film means a realistic film. The film I saw last is Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. It is simple but meaningful, with a message at the end.”

Nassar was part of both Baahubali 1 and 2, where he played Vijjaladeva, a performance which won him plenty of accolades. How does it feel to work in a movie for four-five years? “We spent four to five years for the movies but we never got bored, because the producer provided a very comfortable working atmosphere. It never felt like that long a time!”

Coming up for the actor is Vishwaroopam 2, which, he says, is more dramatic than the original. He also has Sathuranga Vattai, a thriller, with Arvind Swami in the lead. Nassar plays a chartered accountant in the film, who has negative shades.

Nassar’s elder son Noorul was injured in an accident a few years back but the actor refuses to talk about it. His younger son, Abi, has finished his training as an actor, where he got a top rank. “He has now finished work as assistant director in Vijay’s movie Mersal. My third son Mehdi, has finished directing a Tamil film in Sri Lanka and now he’s working in a Prabhu Deva movie as assistant director. They are all young and exploring things. I have given them the freedom to do whatever they want with their lives.” So none of them are following in their father’s footsteps? “They have acted as well. But now film making is easier than in earlier times, so they are trying out all aspects of a film.”