I don’t have dream roles anymore: Saiju Kurup

In the recent past, Saiju Kurup was noticed most for his character as the deceitful husband in Vedivazhipadu, a film which received mixed reviews for its ‘adult’ content. However, the actor says that he doesn’t regret doing the film, or any film, for that matter. “I have only earned more fans after doing that role. People called me up to say that the film made them take me seriously as an actor,” he says.The film indeed seems to have thrown open avenues for the actor.
While Saiju played one of three friends, who decide to relive their bachelor days in the absence of their wives, in Vedivazhipadu, his character Pappan in 1983 was the leader of a local boy gang which is into cricket. In his latest release with Suresh Nair, Saiju plays one of the four bachelor friends and again has a cricket match at its centre. So has his real life cricket skills fetched him roles? “This film is not about cricket at all; this is a fun film where a group of friends decide to play a game of cricket the day before the wedding of one of them, to distress themselves. It’s all about how they get into trouble and what follows.”
And does he feel he is getting typecast, with even his earlier film Bicycle Thieves revolving around a group of friends? “Not at all, in my upcoming films, I play characters as different as chalk and cheese.” In Diphan’s Dolphin, he plays a police officer, while shoot has started for Mammootty-starrer Munnariyippu, in which his character is that of a book publishing agent. In Renjith’s Njan, he has two characters but not a double role.
So which one does he find the most challenging? “All of them. I don’t have dream roles more,” he says.