Prithviraj on being 100 films old
The actor, whose thriller ‘Ranam’ opened in the UAE, speaks about shirking misogyny in movies
“What I am today is the sum aggregate of what I have picked up through these 100 films.” PRITHVIRAJ | Actor
South India’s prolific actor Prithviraj has hit a career milestone. His slick thriller Ranam, out now in the UAE, is his 101st film in a career spanning 35 years.
But who’s counting? Certainly, not Prithviraj — the son of late veteran actor Sukumaran and actress Mallika. The Ranam hero doesn’t display any overt pride in his voice when the staggering statistic is brought up.
“I haven’t checked to be frank. But someone told me that Koode is my 100th film and that’s when I realised it… But I have no reason to complain,” said Prithviraj in a phone conversation with tabloid!.
His last sentence is an understatement as the actor, 35, has emerged as one of the most provocative talents in Malayalam cinema. Whether it’s playing an emotionally unavailable young man in director Anjali Menon’s dysfunctional family drama Koode or a closeted gay man in the thriller
Mumbai Police or a sly, enterprising hustler in Indian
Rupee, Prithviraj can never be accused of playing it safe. But he isn’t letting his roaring success come in the way of his craft.
“I started my career in films at a young age and I remember doing weighty roles even then. I remember playing a sub inspector of police when I was a teenager and a 54-year-old Anglo Indian writer when I was 19. I was pushed at the deep end right from the beginning,” he said. But he didn’t drown in the weight of collective expectations.
“What I am today is the sum aggregate of what I have picked up through these 100 films — good and bad. So judging by that, I don’t have any reason to complain. Today I am at a place in my life and career where I can choose films that I want to do and make sure that they are done in a way they should be,” he said.
Prithviraj has always gravitated towards directors who embrace risks and are willing to push the envelope.
When he was peaking as an actor, he famously agreed to be a part of an indie film Manjadikuru by director Anjali Menon long before she courted instant fame with her blockbuster Bangalore
Days. His formula to choosing projects doesn’t hinge on a director’s fame.
“There’s nobody obscure in cinema. If you ask me: there are people who know what they are doing and people who don’t. Anjali, I can assure you, is someone who knows what she is doing. Even though it was a small part in Manjadikuru, I found it interesting and refreshing,” said Prithviraj, adding that he stepped in after the film was already shot