It’s the contrast between my looks and roles that makes people laugh: Chemban Vinod

With his unconventional looks, distinct acting style and dialogue delivery, the physiotherapist-turned-actor, Chemban Vinod, has carved a niche for himself in the Malayalam film industry.
The quick-witted actor, who is shooting his 25th Malayalam movie takes time off from the filming of Darwinte Parinamam for tête-à-tête …
You’ve become an unavoidable presence in the movies these days
I think it is a mere coincidence as three of my films released at the same time.I came to the industry by accident and with zero planning. I did my first film Nayakan, only because Lijo Pellissery was my friend and he asked me to do it. But I think I was lucky enough to get different roles in all my films. I am a fraud with a rustic get up in Urumbukal Urangaarila, I appear as a thief in a formal get up in Kohinoor and I am a professor with a geek look in Lord Livingstone 7000 Kandi. If I had opted to do only humour, people might have already been bored of me. Though it was never a conscious choice, I think I was fortunate enough to grab versatile roles. That might be the reason why I am recognised now. Does your busy film schedule seem like too much? No. Never! Doing different characters, switching from sets to sets, is a kind of drug for me. It might be hectic but I enjoy the transformation. Today, I am a thief and the next day I am a professor. I think this excitement is what attracts actors to movies and electrifies them.
Kohinoor has you playing a thief for the fourth time in two years. Any reason? Most of my noticed roles are of thieves because it all had a humour element in it. It was more entertaining than my other roles so the viewers will discuss it more. The only connection I have with thieves is that there was a well-known thief near my house during my childhood. But I have decided not to portray thief roles for another two years.
You, Sudheer Karamana, Aju Varghese and Neeraj Madhav seem to be the go-to guys for comic relief in films. Do you sense a competition? Obviously not! I am very close to Sudheer and guess I am the only one who calls him ‘eda’ in the industry, though he is a school principal. I have enough freedom to discuss everything under the sun. Aju and Neeraj are good friends too. We keep discussing vehicles and the latest trends. We all have different looks and appearances and hence the roles that suit us are different. There are no possibilities of having a competition or them grabbing roles that come to me. More than that, I have no plans to cling to the industry by playing politics. The moment I feel I need to compete, I will leave the industry.
Your look is often termed as unconventional… I consider my looks my biggest asset. I think that is the major reason for my survival here. No one believes that I can do comedy with my looks. When I do comedy, people tend to laugh. It is the contrast that is working, I guess! But in real life, when I go out with my friends in Bangalore and they introduce me as ‘a big-time actor’ in Mollywood, many hesitate to believe. They say, “no way, he doesn’t have the looks!” But once a friend introduced me to her Norwegian buddies, they asked what kind of roles I essay. When I said villainous ones, they refused to believe, saying ‘I looked so humble.’
About roles in other regional films? I am getting offers from other film industries and I will definitely be taking it. I am familiar with all the South Indian languages and that’s a definite plus. I have done two Kannada films and there are offers from Tamil, Telugu and Kannada industries. Right now discussions are on for a character role, a comic part and a villain one! However, I may not be able to accept their offers as I have date issues.
You are a self-confessed movie buff… Till my seventh standard, I have never watched films. Even when my parents go to watch movies, they used to make me sit outside as I was hyperactive. But once I happened to watch a bike race scene in an Amitabh Bachchan movie, I was fascinated. From then on, I became a movie buff and started bunking classes to watch films. It was a surprising change! Later, when I settled in Bangalore, I started watching other regional language films. In the 90s Lijo introduced me to world classics.
What do you do apart from films? I enjoy reading, travelling and listening to music. Currently I am reading Vivekananda Sahitya Sarvaswam. I am a Bangalore boy; hence I love to listen to heavy music, club music and many more… But my evergreen favourite is Ilaiyaraaja. I am travel buff and I am ready to travel anytime be it the beaches or the mountains. My biggest dream is to visit the countries of Scandinavia and explore Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.