Indrans: Watching the films at Shanghai, I felt I have reached nowhere as an artiste

Ever since he landed in Kerala after the 10-day China trip to the Shanghai Film Festival, Indrans has had no time to relax.
From attending meetings and events to interviews, he has been on the move for the past few days. However, the experiences at Shanghai, where his film Veyilmarangal won the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award, have been helping him stay energetic and excited, says the State Award winner.Indrans shares his experiences from the fest and more in a light-hearted chat:
How was your first film fest abroad?
In the past, though my movies have been part of film fests abroad, I have only been to the festivals in Kerala and the one in Goa. So, it was my first time travelling abroad for an event like this. And the experience was better than I expected.
We were there for about 10 days and on each day, we tried to watch the other movies that were being screened. We mostly watched those in the competition category, in which Veyilmarangal was also included. They were screened with English and Chinese subtitles, and we used to discuss the films in depth after watching them. Their approach to films and the discipline with which everything is done was quite inspiring.
I don’t remember the names of the films but certain movies, which were from Kazhaksthan, China and Iran left a strong impression and at times, I even felt I have reached nowhere as an artiste. At the same time, I was excited to experience something of this magnitude. The best part was when our movie, which was the only Indian film at the Shanghai Fest, won one out of the eight awards of the event.
I could see that Dr Biju was also meeting many renowned personalities, discussing the chances of featuring our films in other fests and more.
As I don’t speak English, I don’t know too many details. Also, we got to meet quite a few Malayalis and got to know the Malayali associations there. Apparently, Shanghai has only about 350 Keralites, who live there teaching yoga, doing business etc. About 10 people had also rang us up. They took us to an Indian restaurant on one of the days, sashed us with ponnadas at a function and also expressed joy about the film. They were with us till we left. On the whole, it was extremely memorable.
How did you rate Veyilmarangal’s chances to win an award at the fest?
Truth to be told, I didn’t know anything about what to expect. In the past, Dr Biju’s Perariyathavar was screened at Shanghai. Apparently, there has also been times when his movies couldn’t secure an entry. But this time, we got it and that too into the competition section among 13 other films. That got me thrilled and that was why I decided to go for the fest.
It’s a matter of joy that we got to experience the moment of its recognition. When our name was announced, our joy knew no bounds. I was proud that we came all this way with this one film from our country and won. I couldn’t help remembering everyone in our industry, including those who came before us, at that moment.
We hear that like in Aalorukkam, your character in this film as a labourer was also quite unique and challenging. What was the toughest part of working in this project?
As a film in which nature plays a major role, we had to shoot in many different locations ranging from Monroe Thuruthu of Kerala to the snowy Himachal Pradesh. Dealing with that kind of a change, climate-wise, was quite tough for me. Moreover, as days were dedicated to it at different stretches at different locations, it also affected the shoot of my other films. However, thanks to the support of our producer and the director, who is ever energetic, I believe I could work decently enough.
The film became the first from India to earn such an accolade in Shanghai. Do you feel it will get such a reception here too?
We can never foresee that. We are getting good appreciation from everyone at the moment, but when a film gets considered for any awards or recognitions here, its chances will depend on the factors surrounding that setting. Who knows, there might be movies here that didn’t make it to Shanghai but were better than Veyilmarangal. So, we can never say what will happen.
A video with you using chopsticks was much-liked by many.
During the day time in Shanghai, we used to watch films and check out various places. The chopsticks episode happened amid all this. I knew about Chinese people using chopsticks to eat, but it was my first experience using them. A guy from a restaurant at which we ate just stepped forward and started guiding me on how to use it. Filmmaker Zakariya, whose Sudani From Nigeria was screened at the fest, was with us. He is the one who shot it on his phone and in fact, he contributed its caption too, about how the steward would have let me eat with my hands if he spoke Malayalam. That said, I am not too bad at using chopsticks now. I don’t have social media apps installed on my phone. My online page is handled by my son.
As someone who debuted in films way back in 1981 through Choothattam, how do you feel working with today’s youngsters, for instance in Virus?
I might have made my debut decades ago, but today’s youngsters are no less in terms of talent, experience or discipline when it comes to work. That was what I felt on the set of Virus. Actually, I even felt there are things I can learn from them. I was quite impressed to see the level of discipline with which they were handling elements like sync sound, while working on Virus.
From a time when all your characters were humorous with uniquely hilarious facial expressions, you have reached a place where your roles are quite serious.
Those weren’t the times in which you got much guidance. I just incorporated those expressions and mannerisms to develop my own style and in fact, I loved doing them, as much as the serious roles I got later in life. If there is an honesty in the characterisation and if I feel audience will enjoy watching it, I like doing any type of roles.
What are your next projects?
The dubbing of a few films, like Lal Jose’s 41, is pending. I will resume the shoots of other films from July 1. My upcoming films are Mohabbathin Kunjabdulla, Janamaitri Police Station, Manoharam and Paikappal.