Lal Jose scripted my second coming: Kunchacko Boban

The young superstar says he owes it to the ace director for giving him the confidence to take risks in his second coming.
When the so-called megastars and superstars of Mollywood were churning out box-office duds this year, a young actor stood apart enjoying a golden run.
Kunchacko Boban, fondly called Chackochan, has turned into ‘Mr Dependable’ with six of his eight movies released this year declared superhits.
However, the actor says he owes it all to ace director Lal Jose who was responsible for scripting his second coming with Elsamma Enna Aankutty (E2A) in 2011.
“Lal utilised the actor in me and gave me the confidence that I can do varied roles,” says Chackochan. “The role of Palunni in E2A gave a complete changeover to my image of a clichéd actor.”
Their friendship extends beyond the frenzy world of filmdom, he says, adding that it's his friends like Lal, Shafi and scriptwriter Benny P Nayarambalam who had helped revive his drive for cinema during his sabbatical.
The 35-year-old actor describes his second coming as a phase where he is not afraid of taking risks because the gamble of playing Palunni paid off and helped convince the directors and producers that he can carry character roles with the same ease as his chocolate-boy avatars.
“The characters I have played in Seniors and Traffic have negative shades and a lot of people liked them,” the actors remarks, adding that he was immensely happy when Kamal Haasan appreciated him for his role as Dr Abel in Traffic.
In his next outing with Lal’s Spanish Masala, Chackochan will be seen essaying the role of Rahul, a character that he says is a “stark contrast role wise, appearance wise and dialect wise” to Palunni.
With the release of Spanish Masala, the actor would clock nine movies this year, a number that he is considering to reduce in 2012. “I am planning to cut down the number to five and choose only the cream of films that come my way,” he says.
The root for this conscious decision could be his random selection of movies that gave way to his fall in his first outing.
Though he rues that he could have been more careful choosing his earlier projects, Chackochan says this time he is more focused. “I am more involved in the movie from the scripting process till it reaches the theatres,” he explains.
Analysing his movies this year that includes Sevenes and Doctor Love, Chackochan has been working with a lot of young actors and directors.
As an actor who had a dream run early in his career before slumping to rise again, his advice to new faces is “not to stretch their legs before they sit.” He says actors like Mammootty, Mohanlal and Dileep are proof that only hardwork and focus pays off in the long run.
Chackochan is currently filming for Ordinary in which he plays a conductor of a KSRTC bus plying on the Pathanamthitta-Gavi route. It will see him starring for yet another movie helmed by a debutant director.
His decision to work under newcomers like Sugeeth (Ordinary), Biju (Doctor Love), Jithu (Mummy and Me) and Vysakh (Seniors) is also part of his decision “to step out of the safe zone.”
“The communication is easier between me and the so-called new breed of filmmakers unlike working with veterans on whom you are completely dependent,” he explains.
Next year, the Aniyathipraavi actor will be seen doing more movies with veteran directors like Lal Jose, Shafi and Sohanlal. Regardless, when an established actor like Chackochan shows eagerness to work with newcomers and take risks, it’s always a welcome sign for the industry.