With Maamannan’s release, actor Fahaad Faasil has once again shown Tamil audiences that he is just as good in Kollywood movies, as he is in Malayalam cinema. The ease with which he plays quirky characters, and his ability to take on wide-ranging roles instead of playing the conventional hero in both his own tongue Malayalam, and in Tamil, have won the actor fans in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
His performance in Malayalam films like 22 Female Kottayam (2012), Amen (2013), Kumbalangi Nights (2o19), and Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2016) revealed him to be an excellent character actor capable of embodying the murkier side of human nature with terrifying accuracy.
Fahaad's entry into Kollywood began with Velaikaran (2017), but it was his performance in Super Deluxe (2019) that won him fans among Tamil audiences. He is now set to star in Vijay’s Leo directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.
If you’re unfamiliar with Fahad’s previous work, here are six movies you must certainly watch, among others.
North 24 Kaatham (2013)
Fahadh plays a man who battles Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in this film. He works as a software engineer, hated by his colleagues and considered an asset by the company leadership. He brought out the nuances of the character with a deep sense of detail, also creating many endearing moments on screen. His performance in the film went on to win him a Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor.
Where to watch: Disney+Hotstar
Thondimuthalum Drikshakshiyum (2017)
In another award-winning film for Fahadh, he plays a chain-snatcher in this one. He portrays the character with such an absolute lack of a conscience, that it verges on the absurd. The film, a dark comedy, earned the actor a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Where to watch: Disney+Hotstar
Joji (2021)
This Malayalam language adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth won much praise for several factors. The film re-imagined the famous play as a crime thriller set in a rubber plantation in present-day Kerala. Shot during the COVID-19 lockdown, it may have been one of the first few films to write the pandemic into its narrative. Fahadh as the titular character Joji, was based on Macbeth himself, bringing to life the Shakespearean tragic hero’s treachery and inner conflict with a disconcerting intensity.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Super Deluxe (2019)
This Thiagarajan Kumararaja directorial in Tamil has many fans but remains a problematic film for its representation of trans women. Fahadh’s performance as an aspiring actor and toxic husband caught up in murder, is one of the key elements in the movie that draws you to it.
Where to watch: Netflix
Vikram (2022)
This star-studded film, helmed by Kamal Hassan and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, saw Fahadh as an obsessive cop driven by vengeance. Despite Kamal playing the lead, it was Fahadh who got the meaty chunk of the film in the first half. The actor brought a charged performance to the screen that played well against the elusive and older Vikram (Kamal).
Where to watch: Zee5 and Disney+Hotstar
Maamannan (2023)
This is perhaps the best of Fahadh seen so far in Tamil cinema. As the main antagonist in the film, he transforms into the caste supremacist, toxic male, idealised by intermediate caste groups in Tamil Nadu who have far too much political power. Rather than bringing out a conventional movie villain, the actor mirrors the kind of real-life villainy that leads to atrocities against Dalits, which makes watching him in the act both a compelling and terrifying experience.
Where to watch: Running in theatres currently