I get nervous before filming emotional scenes: Nivin

Nivin Pauly has many reasons to cheer of late. Both 'Premam' and 'Action Hero Biju' completed 100 days in theatres in Kerala and judging from the positive responses for his latest release 'Jacobinte Swargarajyam', it might just hit the century mark as well. It’s no wonder that Nivin is the most-sought after actor in Mollywood right now. In a free-wheeling chat, the actor tells us why his role as Jerry Jacob is special to him, how acting with newcomers has brought out the best in him and about the macho beard he’s been sporting lately.
With Jacobinte Swargarajyam, you now have a hat-trick of hits.You must be on cloud nine now?
For most of the movies that I have taken up, I had several discussions with the makers before I was convinced about the script. Because there are certain elements that I look for in every script. But in the case of 1983 and Jacobinte Swargarajyam, a 10-minute narration was all it took to get me excited about the role and the movie. For 1983, I was told the outline and I immediately said I am in. For Jacobinte Swargarajyam, when I heard the basic outline and a couple of scenes, I was smitten. But the initial plan was that Vineeth would be doing my role. So I had to relentlessly pursue the role and convince Vineeth to allow me to do it. And it was worth it. There is nothing better than a character you like going on to become a success.
The critics have also praised you for the way you handled the emotional scenes in the film. That’s a side of you we haven’t seen often.
That’s something that just happens when you are on the sets and performing. To be frank, I am nervous every time I have to do an emotional scene because if you don’t nail it, people would term it as overacting or that the emotions don’t really come through. When you perform such sequences, it’s essential that the audience has to relate to whatever emotions the character is going through. That’s when it becomes a success.
Your role Jerry was based on the real life person Gregory Jacob. How much of Gregory is there in Jerry?
While we were shooting, Gregory along with his mother and wife used to come to the sets. We also had a get together at his house once, and we became close. But the character Jerry wasn’t the exact replica of Gregory. That would have been tough because our physiques and looks are different. But a friend of Gregory who watched the movie told me that some of my mannerisms in the movie were exactly like his. That made me happy. It wasn’t a conscious effort but I think it’s because we spent a lot of time talking and hanging out while shooting and that unintentionally reflected in the portrayal of the character.
Your last three movies had you performing along with a host of newcomers. Does that help you as an actor?
Yes, we had a lot of new faces in Premam. But I think it worked best in Action Hero Biju. It has also reflected in my performance in the movie. I had no clue how those who played the petitioners in the movie were going to act and so I couldn’t prepare my reaction. That brought out real, raw emotions and also helped me get into the character. Even in real life, a sub-inspector faces a new challenge and confronts new people every day. Most of the scenes were shot live and some of the dialogues were unscripted. With the newcomers delivering their lines, I had to be spontaneous and that was a unique experience.
In Jacobinte Swargarajyam, I got to work with Ashwin Kumar. He’s a great talent and I think he has all the potential to be a star in Tamil.
Ohm Shanti Oshaana, Premam and now Jacobinte Swargarajyam. Renji Panicker seems to be a lucky charm for you?
I don’t look at it like that. But I could spend a lot more time with him in this movie. And it’s got to be one of his best performances of late. He nailed the proud NRI dad act as Jacob.
You have been sporting a beard lately. What’s up with that?
I am doing a Tamil movie directed by Gautham Ramachandran. We are yet to fix a title. My character requires a beard and so I have been growing it for the last two and half months. In Malayalam, I also have a movie with Althaf, which requires me to be clean-shaven, and also one with Sidhartha Siva.