Dubai: For Malayalam actor Rahman, fame didn’t start in Kerala, it all began in Abu Dhabi where he spend his childhood. Apparently, Malayali families in the 1980s Gulf watched him on their televisions at home, and in many ways, claimed him as their own, says Rahman to Gulf News ahead of his release of his new thriller ‘Anomie’ with Bhavana Menon, out in UAE cinemas now.
Often dubbed the Prince of Mollywood when he was in his twenties, he was once positioned to take over the stardom of legends such as Mammootty and Mohanlal, and even at 58, he remains one of the most well-preserved actors in Malayalam cinema.
“That connection with the UAE still lingers,” he says.
“There was this elderly man who saw me recently outside a restaurant in Dubai. He was really old, slightly shabby, but he told me how much his wife loved me. It looks like she had died and he’s alone. Seeing me reminded him of her and the movies that they watched of me!”
From teen idol to Malayalam cinema icon
Rahman has acted in around 200 films across Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu cinema, earning several awards along the way. He made his debut in Koodevide (1983), winning the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor, and quickly became a teen idol in Malayalam films during the 1980s. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, he expanded to lead roles in Tamil and Telugu cinema before making a celebrated comeback to Malayalam films in 2004. But the actor, who grew up in the UAE and in a boarding school in Ooty, tells us that his breakthrough in cinema was merely an ‘happy accident’.
“I didn’t know anything about the movie world. I didn’t know how to behave myself. So I didn’t know anything. Actually, I just learned everything what I am today is only from the movies I was a part of.”
Bunking a class so by being a part of an audition was how he got a break in the world of movies.
“It was not some childhood ambition of mine to be an actor nor was there any carefully plotted career path. What followed in my life was me learning as I did movies. I learned on the job.”
While he didn’t nurse a burning ambition to be a part of Indian cinema, he was very serious about learning the craft.
“Deep inside, I developed a passion for acting. I wasn’t a born actor, the love for acting grew in me and I took it very seriously over the years.”
By the late 1980s, Rahman had distinguished himself in a film culture defined by realism. Long before the language of social media existed, he became what today might be called a “thirst trap.”
“I didn’t know what’s a thirst-trap, never heard of that!,” he says with a laugh. “
But he accepts that label graciously. His career is also a study in reinvention. From chocolate boy to serious actor, then to negative roles that reshaped his image, he has navigated the industry largely without agenda.
“Earlier, I was like a chocolate boy. I wanted to change that, and then I became the go-to guy for serious roles. But somewhere, I started giving up. Times were bad for me then. But I bounced back after I began choosing negative roles.” He claims he was desperate to change his image of being this hunky Mr Nice Guy. But being typecast was his constant reality.
“Now I am this stereotypical cop because I’ve been doing a lot of cop roles! Sometimes, I do get fed up trying to break out of those existing boxes that I am put in,” he says.
His biggest challenge?
“To somehow do good roles! Even with Anomie, I wasn’t keen on doing another cop role. It took me a while to say ‘yes’ … But then I realised I have to survive and a long gap between movies isn’t a good idea.
His choices stems from his deep respect for his audience, who have given him a wide berth.
“I care for the people who are watching the movie,” he says. “They spend money. They give their time. So the film should make sense. I gravitate towards sensible movies!”
And guess what? Big-budget tentpole spectacle movies rarely impress him.
“I get very irritated watching such kind of movies with big names, big sets, but despite those resources it’s just crap stuff.”
But he doesn’t let that weigh his acting choices.
“Lately I have been feeling this urge to do different kind of roles! For instance, Mammootty is an inspiration to all of us. When he is in his 70s, he has taken on some amazing roles because he too feels he needs a change.”
But Rahman says he’s not the one to romanticise hustle. You will never see this talent network at a work party networking for roles.
“I cannot be a hustler. I’m too open … My feelings and thoughts often reflect on my face. So I cannot be fake at any point.”
Years ago, a senior journalist gave him perhaps the most intrepid career advice.
“After Kamal Haasan, it is you who’s the most talented actor. But there is a problem. You are not fit to be in the industry. Why? Because you’re too sweet,” Rahman recalls.
But he isn’t worried about fitting in.
“I don’t behave like normal filmy people nor did did I ever network. I didn’t know which camp to join. Perhaps, that is my mistake,” he says. But his loyal fan base adores him despite him not playing that game.
Today, Rahman calls himself a proud, happy grandfather.
“There is this special bond between the grandchildren and grandparents,” he says.
“You love them more than your own kids. I only heard elderly people talking about it, but when you’re experiencing it, it’s really true.”
He’s currently enjoying this phase where he’s spending time with his grand children and kids.
“I’ve never been ambitious in life, in movies or anything. I didn’t have this burning desire saying: ‘I want to be this, I want to be that’. I just take on what’s good from all angles.”
But he remains open to evolution.
“I feel that I need to do different roles… dark, dysfunctional, wicked roles. But it’s up to the writers to think of me in different characters and bring me out right things,” he says.
Even after four decades, Rahman remains grounded.
“I think people just like me.” We couldn’t agree more!
