One of the most dependable actors in Malayalam cinema, Manoj K Jayan has so far done over 200 films in multiple languages. There’s hardly a genre he hasn’t experimented with or a role he hasn’t excelled in. An actor who tries to consciously reinvent himself if he feels like being stuck in a comfort zone, his screen appearances have been few and far between.This year’s first Malayalam release, Salute, with Dulquer Salmaan in the lead, a film scripted by Bobby-Sanjay and directed by Rosshan Andrrews, has received mixed reviews. But even critics have been appreciative of Manoj K Jayan’s performance in the movie as a police officer: DySP Ajith Karunakaran, the elder brother of Dulquer Salmaan’s Aravind Karunakaran. Manoj K Jayan in a freewheeling chat spoke to TNM on the film, reminiscing the roles he essayed and his growth as an actor.
To anyone who speaks to the actor, the first thing that strikes the mind is his astonishing memory. From scenes and dialogues to the exact briefing he received for a scene, the actor vividly remembers the details of the films he acted in. While talking about his latest role in Salute, Manoj offers a quick comparison with two other films in which he donned the police uniform: “In Thattathin Marayathu, I am this lovesick cop Praja, who is slavish to the hero and in Phantom Paili, I am an out-and-out villain with a bald plate,” he reminds me.
In Salute, unlike the other two cop characters, Ajith Karunakaran, is a no-nonsense cop, who goes against his righteous brother’s decisions to survive in a warped system. There are no moral dilemmas for him as experience has made him realise that this is the only way to survive. Again, like most of his characters, Manoj seems to have worked on his physical appearance in Salute to look distinct. This time by sporting a thick and well-groomed moustache.
Salute is his first collaboration with the Rosshan Andrrews-Bobby Sanjay team and Manoj calls it a hugely satisfying experience. Both Bobby and Sanjay were known to him as they were his neighbours in Kottayam. He has watched them grow up and once even teamed up with their father (Prem Prakash), uncle (Jose Prakash) and cousin (Dennis Joseph). “But such connections won't guarantee films for you. In fact they were asking me why we never made a film together,” says Manoj.
According to him, the writing by the Bobby-Sanjay duo, apart from being well-researched, has deeper layers which help actors elevate their craft. "When Aravind goes to Dehradun and gets invited for his niece’s wedding, he also has a conversation with Ajith. First, Ajith orders him to come early and after a long pause, asks again: “Will you come?” The dialogue implies that it’s okay even if you don’t make it. I had to bring in the real emotion playing in his mind into my voice modulation.” he says. His favourite scene from the film, however, is the conversation between the brothers at the end, when he realises how mistaken he was about him all this while.
Considering the actor has stayed relevant in his three-decade long career, having worked with some of the best names in the industry, he thinks the trick is to “allow yourself to be moulded by the film-maker.” Every film set is a school and every director, young and old, have been brilliant teachers. Discard your overconfidence and arrogance and surrender yourself—that's how he sees it, every time.
Manoj feels that there are similarities between the working styles of Rosshan Andrrews and his mentor Hariharan. Both have undeniable commanding power on the sets and are terrific with actors. Both know exactly what to extract from their actors, believe in rehearsals and are pretty hands-on as directors. He has seen Hariharan hiking mountains and strolling into forests during Pazhassiraja shoot, when he could have easily stood in front of the monitor and issued instructions through a microphone.
Manoj K Jayan is grateful that he is equally “wanted” by the new generation of film-makers as well. When Alphonse Puthren offered him a role in Neram, he couldn’t make up his mind and probably wouldn’t have taken it up if not for Vineeth Sreenivasan’s recommendation. “Alphonse is brilliant and gives so much freedom for an actor. I wasn’t really sure about the reactions to some of my humour scenes, but it really worked. That shows his vision,” says Manoj. He has kind words for Vineeth, with whom he worked in Thattathin Marayathu: “A loving director who will fuss over you.”
Even today, before signing up for a film, Manoj is nervous whether he will be able to live up to the director’s expectations, despite his impressive body of work. The acting process, he says, varies from film to film. If there is one thing you can never accuse him of, it is never repeating himself on screen or getting stuck in an image trap. “I would have easily fallen into an image trap if I had accepted similar roles that came my way after Sargam’s Kuttan Thampuran. But I said no every single time. When you make it clear that you are not someone who likes to repeat, then writers will also think before writing roles for us,” says Manoj, who feels stereotyping of characters is a major reason why some offers are not acceptable.
He is grateful to the film culture he was part of for this decision. It gave him the opportunity to work with great filmmakers and writers. “They were reluctant to call me for Palayam, in which I played an action hero, as I had this image of doing only classy films. But it worked. I did Valayam in which I played this sly antagonist and even today I wonder why I accepted that role. But I am glad it happened,” says Manoj.
When speaking about his association with MT Vasudevan Nair and Hariharan, his tone becomes reverential. When I bring up the film Sukrutham, he recalls a line spoken by the character Rajendran – essayed by him in the film – to Malini (Gauthami), when she asks him to forget their affair: “Is the mind a magical slate that has the ability to erase and forget according to someone’s whims and fancies?”
"How can I forget a dialogue, written by MT Vasudevan Nair, like that?,” asks Manoj.
It is with much fondness that he recalls his stellar role in Pazhassiraja: Thalakkal Chanthu. It’s a film in which the actor, through his finely nuanced act, demonstrates his ability to do full justice to author-backed roles. It wasn’t an easy role to pull off, especially in an ensemble film centred around an epic hero. Warm, committed, loyal and brave, Thalakkal Chandu is an asset for Pazhassiraja’s army. The actor Manoj dissolves completely to make way for the warrior Chanthu, so much so that we cheer for the King when he sets out to avenge his death. In the final scene when he is about to be hanged by the British, he looks at the people who stood by him and then stares at the sky before the noose tightens. “I had no need for glycerin to cry,” says Manoj, who credits the powerful scene to the writing by MT.
But the character of Digambaran, a loud and garrulous black magician in Ananthabhadram, he admits, was a different kettle of fish. It’s a character that can easily become a caricature. “I didn’t even read the script. All I heard was a story narration. I would just read the scene and then forcefully push myself to be the character. The biggest challenge was to sell the character to the Malayalee audience,” says Manoj. But the actor lends a chilling intensity and surprisingly an undertone of humour to the character all the while evoking fear with spooky laughter, sinuous body language, cold eyes, and madness. Manoj also played a transgender person in Ardhanarishwari, a character which he says was challenging for him as an actor.
He usually watches films that have great reviews and tries to learn from it as an actor. “I might say no to repetition. So many people ask me why I am not proactive. I am not someone who is capable of assembling a film for myself. I just take what comes my way. I don’t know any other way,” he says.