By Parthan Mohan
“I was only a leading man for a minute; now I’m a character actor” – Robin Williams
He must have been talking about Malayalam actor Siddique. We bring you a list of some of Siddique’s best performances.
1) Raveendran (Uyare): If Pallavi Raveendran is a woman of steely resolve, a lot can be credited to her father, Raveendran, who stood by her during trying times. It might not have been easy for him, considering her mother died very early. When he meets Govind, though he figures him out in a minute, he doesn’t impose his opinions on his daughter and allows her to make her own decisions. When she turns out to be gravely wrong, he never tells her – “I told you so”. Why Siddique? In just that scene where he witnesses her disfigured face for the first time, there are no theatrics, everything is conveyed through his eyes, which seem to be telling you how badly shaken he is by the sight. Brilliantly understated.
2) Hussain (Lelam): The lovable confidante of the temperamental Aana Kattil Chackochi was safe in the hands of the actor. Only Siddique could bring so much depth and feeling to that long scene where he tears up remembering his mother’s death.
3) Dominique Rodriguez (Hey Jude): The clincher in this latest act is that he keeps away from all existing stereotypes associated with the portrayal of Anglo-Indian dads. It’s a terrifically nuanced act where he brings humour, craftiness and emotions in right doses. Jude seems incomplete without his quirky dad.
4) Baby Perumkudy (Ann Maria Kalippilaanu): As a witty, loud-mouthed Kottayam Achayan realtor, Baby Perumkudy did look run-of-the-mill until that epic scene where he recounts the pain of a lost child. That turned out to be the scene-stealer.
5) Muhammed Unni (Loham): Siddique plays a gold smuggler with a penchant for gambling that also makes him a compulsive stalker; he puts his money on every random person and event. The actor lends a unique idiosyncrasy to his act. Hilarious.
6) N N Kutty (Kalippattam): Siddique is the typical fake intellectual artist, with a goatee and shabby khadi kurtas. Kutty likes to go off on a tangent about his modern paintings which he thinks an average mind is unable to decipher. Siddique brings an affected slang to Kutty, making his act superbly believable and funny.
7) Balachandran (Nandanam): He plays the soft-spoken, pan-chewing elderly Balachandran, who is also in charge of the local temple festivities. But it’s the other side of Balachandran that’s more endearing – of a silent lover who still nurses a crush on Bala, the woman he loved and lost. The scene where he recalls his love with an almost embarrassing restraint is vintage Siddique.
8) Choman (Kannaki): Manickam’s best pal Choman has a fixation for cock fights. The actor sports a buck tooth, friendly mutton chops moustache and speaks in a peculiar slang, balancing his loud expressions with a rare show of tenderness. Very effective.
9) Velayudhan (Pathemari): There aren’t many scenes for Velayudhan but then Siddique is one actor who can make an impact with just a scene. He is the dhow owner who carries Pallikkal Narayanan and such young men across the seas. Siddique is especially terrific as his character’s older self where he reminds Narayanan about the fickleness of wealth.
10) Venu (Mookilla Rajyathu): Siddique plays one of the four loony chaps in this comic caper. And he does the job of a two-in-one – as singer and swashbuckling comedian – with élan.
11) Mathew Sir (CIA): The staunch Kerala Congress ally who must battle a Communist son at home. He is superb in various capacities – as a doting dad (especially that scene where he bids his son adieu and that conversation with his girlfriend), as a loyal Congress supporter, and even as a man with gumption. Check out the scene where he walks into the police station to bail out his son. Super cool!
Parthan Mohan is a film director and producer.
This article was originally published on Fullpicture.in. The News Minute has syndicated the content. You can read the original article here.