THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tiny Tom was baffled when script-writer turned director Johnson Estappan asked him to play a 65-year-old man Ayappan in Dafedar. Tiny, who was signed to play the son of the character, shot down the idea initially. The role, which the late actor Kalabhavan Mani was supposed to play,was not something he ever considered. But then, after much persuasion, Tiny decided to give it a try.
Thus, was born Ayappan, a retired dafedar (Collector’s assistant), with a strong civic sense. Marking a shift from the comic roles that one usually associates Tiny with, his Dafedar will hit the screens this week.
But, becoming Ayappan was not a cakewalk. “I am essentially a mimicry artist. I had to ensure that I did not inadvertently absorb the body language of elder actors like Nedumudy Venu and Thilakan. But, I found a convincing person to imitate -- my own father.I copied his mannerisms. It is heartbreaking that he left us six months ago. Ayappan is also someone who has lived the harsh realities of life. He should look gaunt and tired. So I had to shed 13 kilos,” says Tiny.
It took him two hours each day to get into the garb, but Tiny says the makeover was perfect that music director Ilayaraja was stunned.
“When I went to the room where he was discussing the songs, he didn’t know it was me. Make-up man Kumar Edapal had done a wonderful job of transforming me into Ayappan,” says Tini.The movie, that marks the directorial debut of Johnson Estappan (he had worked alongside the late director Lohitadas and scripted hits like Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum) traces the life of two generations - of Ayappan, who lives by the Constitution, and his sons, bureaucrats who don’t blink an eye before accepting bribes. “It is a fight of generations. Ayappan is someone who lives by our Pledge. But, his children lead a corrupt life. The movie focuses on the friction in their lives,” says Tiny. Dafedar had Malavika Nair in the lead. The other stars include Sudhir Karamana, Geetha Vijayan, Devan and Indrans.