Rahman: Attempting a sudden image transition is risky for actors

How easy will it be for Malayalis to picturise actor Rahman as a gangster? From playing a romantic hero to tough cops, he has explored diverse roles but a character of this sort would be a first, and he is attempting it in his upcoming film Ranam. And just as the viewers, Rahman too had questions in his mind when he was offered the role of a gangster named Damodar, who hails from Sri Lanka, in the Nirmal Sahadev directorial.
Recalls Rahman, “In fact, I was quite sceptical. I don’t want to say that I decided to just take a challenge and attempt it, as honestly, I had my share of misgivings. It’s for the first time that I am doing such a role in Mollywood and my thoughts were on the lines of ‘My image in the minds of the viewers is very different from it. If I try to break it, will it backfire?’ In the first few sittings for the film too, I was doubtful as to whether I can do justice to it but finally, I took the plunge, armed with the confidence the team gave me."
Interestingly, even during the dubbing, he wasn’t too sure, but once he saw the outcome on screen, it all changed. “It’s like that for me, often. During the shoot or dubbing, you wouldn’t get a clear picture on how it would look on screen. I am happy with Ranam and now, I am banking on the broadmindedness of Malayali audience,” he says.
Why should attempting something unprecedented be tricky? He explains, “We all want to be good actors and try new roles, and also want to make people like the roles you do. Generally, when someone who does a kind of role, for instance, comedy, suddenly tries a serious genre, it doesn’t go down quite well with the audience. It is better to do it gradually, or else it’s risky.”
Regardless, Rahman is traversing new turfs of filmmaking fearlessly, that too with young directors. “I like to work with spirited, talented teams and that’s what the young lot offers. It worked in Dhruvangal Pathinaaru, a team that had done its homework well and so, I have movies lined up with more youngsters.”
His next films are Seven, directed by Telugu filmmaker Nasar Shafi and 9000 km/hr, by Sankalp Reddy. He also has Karthik Naren’s third film and director Balakrishnan’s Kadhayudham, coming up in Tamil.
His next in Malayalam is Shankar Ramakrishnan’s Pathinettam Padi, in which he does a cameo role. “It’s an action thriller film which also has some Plus Two students in it,” he concludes.