M’wood is still not receptive to experiments: Sethu

Just the name Sethu might not ring a bell in Malayali minds, but the likable police officer, Bhaskar, from the critically acclaimed Kollywood film Mynaa does. Though the film went on to do well, offers started pouring in and his co-actors, including Amala Paul, shot to stardom, Sethu maintained a low profile and still picks very few films. The actor from Kerala recently played a prominent role in Rakesh Gopan’s Malayalam film 100 Degree Celsius.He speaks to us about what films mean to him; life outside the limelight and more.
100 Degree Celsius and M-Town
For various reasons, women stay alone in metros like Kochi. In 100 Degree Celsius, I play a commoner who come into the lives of such a group of women. He is a face that you find everywhere and might not even pay attention to unless necessary, and his intentions and identity is a suspense till the end of the film. The movie also shows how technology is misused today. I enjoyed playing my character.
It is a multi-heroine film and working with the leading ladies — Shwetha Menon, Bhamaa, Meghana Raj, Ananya and new girl Haritha — was also memorable. What I got to experience is not their glorified media image or personality, but the simple side of each of these celebs. This is my second film in Malayalam after V K Prakash’s Thank You, in which I played a tough police officer.
I am selective
Cinema is quite close to my heart, but I have done only six films in the past four years as not all of my time is invested in movies. Being a businessman by profession, I travel a lot and am mostly in Dubai. Even after Mynaa when offers started pouring in, I decided not to sideline business, as it was also the infamous period of recession. I also don’t want to make cinema my bread and butter, but want it to be something I do out of genuine interest.
I devote about 60 to 70 days a year for films and thanks to technology, I can manage my business tasks from anywhere in the world. So far, I am happy to have remained a juggler and don’t regret my decisions to give equal space for both cinema and business.
Friends dragged me into films…
I used to be active in school-level plays while in Kerala but became less active later, though I loved films. I took up business soon after completing my MBA. It also gave me many friends in film world like Prabhu Solomon, who directed Mynaa. By the time I turned 25, I also produced two Tamil films — Kokki and Karuppusamy Kuththagaithaarar.
Prabhu used to tell me that I should try acting but I often laughed it off, till he dragged me into it through Mynaa. However, I tried to give my best once I became part of the cast and also worked on my appearance in it, which is quite different as compared to my real life self. Watching the effort translating into a good role and film, I was happy and thus, acting got closer to my heart.
I have always been interested in cricket and fitness, and they have been part of my routine always. I feel my fitness got slightly affected after coming into films. As for acting, I feel I’m no born actor and strictly go by what a director demands.
Mollywood VS other Film industries
Unlike in Tamil where people wouldn’t mind watching an experimental film to get a taste of it, it is hard to garner receptivity in Malayalam. Acceptance is no cake walk for a filmmaker in our industry. I have also felt that to try out something new in movies, Tamil industry is the right place.
The ‘Mynaa Sethu’ tag
I like people referring to me as Mynaa Sethu, but don’t want to be limited by that image. It can be like a shell at times, and I am keen to break it through good work. As I said, I love cinema and would be an active part of it going forward — be it as an actor, producer or director.