Veteran actor filmmaker and writer Prakash Belawadi, known for his wide-ranging work across cinema, theatre and writing, continues to bring a grounded, intellectually-engaged presence to his roles. In his latest outing Patriot, helmed by Mahesh Narayanan, he appears alongside Mammootty and Mohanlal in an ensemble-driven narrative. The film unfolds through shifting perspectives and controlled tension, where personal and political stakes constantly intersect in a story about technology being used by the government and corporations to spy on citizens.
Away in Australia, Belawadi speaks about the making of the film and the world it builds.
Excerpts:
What first interested you about Patriot as a script?
The story seemed fresh, something like Enemy of the State, or so it seemed to me.
How do you look back at the experience of being on set with Mammootty and Mohanlal?
It was a big moment for me... they are great actors. Though I’ve watched only a handful of his films, I’ve felt Mohanlal is the best screen actor of our times. So, it was a moment to cherish. The few conversations I got with them were rewarding. They are well-informed and intelligent people, who care for their work, with indelible charisma. And Fahad (Faasil) too, with whom I had worked before in Take Off!
Mahesh Narayanan’s films often sit in a morally-grey space rather than offering easy heroes or villains. Did Patriot feel similar to you while performing it?
He has scale in his imagination. He thinks big and, as an editor, is very sure of his cuts. He makes you feel that he has already seen the film he is shooting. What is gripping in his work is the moral dilemma he creates for a character, always a problem that is also central to the film’s theme.
The film deals with politics and power quite intensely. As an actor, how do you approach a story that can be interpreted in various different ways by audiences?
It depends on how each person sees the role of the State. Should the State be endowed with power, or with responsibility? When politicians are elected to govern, do have a mandate to rule, or to serve the people? Whose interests do they represent? When in government, they must represent not only those who voted for them, but also those who voted against them. But will they tolerate dissent? These are big questions... An actor must do as the character thinks, rather than go by his or her personal political choices.
Do you think contemporary cinema is becoming more comfortable with politically-layered storytelling?
No, not yet. When makers are confronted with a ‘grey’ situation, they tend to nudge it towards black or white. No ideology can fully comprehend the complexities of human thought and action, nor the troubling realities we create.
How would you describe your character and his importance to the story?
It is a small role, but it represents the reality of a big ‘character’. Someone operating in the grey moral zone of political reality, negotiating between what is right and what is possible.
You often play characters with intellectual presence. How do you avoid repeating yourself when taking on such roles?
I don’t avoid it if it’s a good story in the hands of a good director.