I will never stop doing comedy: Suraj Venjaramoodu

The Suraj-stamp meant the comical use of Trivandrum slang in Mollywood. Not anymore. His brilliant performance in filmmaker Dr Biju’s Perariyathavar has given the actor an entry into the league of the best actors the country has produced so far. Like the 2010-winner, Salim Kumar, Suraj also proves that many comedians of M-Town are minefields of untapped acting potential.The National Award winner speaks about Perariyathavar, comedy and future.
Over to Suraj:
When the character came calling I was quite surprised when a filmmaker of Dr Biju’s calibre picked me to play such a role with ample scope to emote. As everyone knows, comedy has been my world for a long time in Malayalam films. However, his confidence in me and guidance are what equipped me to bring out the best performance of my life.
My character in this film has no name; he is a sweeper. I often used to observe sweepers employed by corporation, and the images of their lives were imprinted in my mind. My character has been a sweeper for the past 15 years and the film deals with the issues such people face. The most challenging aspect of this character was emoting sans dialogue and conveying the right message to audience just through expressions in many instances. I would say it was one of the toughest characters that came my way.
It would be a bigger award if people watch the film in theatresPerariyathavar’s director Dr Biju and its assistant cinematographer used to often say that there are strong chances of me winning an award. They were quite happy with the output I delivered as the nameless title character of the film. After the movie’s last shot, I asked the director whether I can take the shirt I wore in that scene. He asked me the reason. I told him that I never take any costumes from films home, but I just loved the character in Perariy thavar. I even said in jest that I will meet him next in Delhi, during the National Award ceremony! However, he was quite serious and asserted that I will surely bag it.
It is a great feeling to have topped the list of some of the best performances of the year at the national level. It would be a bigger award if people watch the film in theatres, when it is released.
Comedy is still my forte! I will never stop doing comedy. It is my oxygen and soul. Even before the award came in, I was always careful about picking good characters, whether they offer scope for comedy or not. I will just continue doing the same.
What next? I am currently busy with Subil Surendran’s comedy-drama Ente Sathyanweshana Pareekshakal, scripted by Shankar Ramakrishnan. It is the story of a comedian, who deals with depression. Another one is Anil Gopinath’s Garbhashreeman, where I play a pregnant man.