A few months ago, Thajmola’s parents often found themselves fielding calls from friends, families, and fans about their son’s performances on social media platforms. Popularly known as Thaj among his followers, he regularly writes sketches, scouts locations, directs, performs, edits, and uploads his own videos on Instagram, each spanning about three minutes. These stories sparked conversations when they went viral, but the appreciation didn’t just stay within audience circles. It caught the attention of filmmakers too. And soon, those congratulatory calls to the couple grew more frequent “and a little overwhelming” when Thaj made his way to the big screen with the March release, Youth.
Talking about the coming-of-age romantic drama helmed by directorial and acting debutant Ken Karunaas, Thaj says, “I always wanted to try my hand at everything media, such as podcasts, acting, music, all of it. Acting was always in the back of my mind, but I was hesitant because I knew it’s a full-time commitment.”
Living with aspiring actors and watching the grind up close only reinforced that hesitation. Until opportunity knocked. Ken had reached out to Thaj during the end of September last year, and within weeks, script readings were followed by a 12-day shoot scheduled in October. “As a novice, I had to adapt to the system, to the way things function on a set,” admits Thaj. Here, he lived his acting dream, learnt the craft in layers, built friendships, and is equipped for the future in this space.
To the big screen
The Instagram influencer-turned-actor had to understand emotional graphs, reacting to co-actors, and, in his words, “forgetting who you are” once the camera rolls. “I didn’t want to be Thaj on screen. I wanted to be Siddhartha,” he says about the character he plays, a negative one. Though he has a very boy-next-door profile on his Instagram, this role selection was intentional. “I want to show that I can act and I can mould myself into any character,” he notes.
The audiences’ reactions are both supportive and watchful. “People who were proud of me are even more proud now. And those who aren’t… they’re satisfied seeing me in a negative role,” he comments.
And for this character to be accepted well by the viewers, Thaj did not undergo any physical training sessions, character development courses, or intensive preparation routine. The shoot was tight, leaving little room for workshops or training. Instead, Thaj relied on observation and instinct, picking up cues from seasoned co-actors and rehearsing privately. “Emotionally, it was about getting into the zone,” he says, adding that the real work often happened off set, in the quiet of his room.
The balancing act
This transition came with perspective. Working in cinema has shifted how he views content creation now. “I want to collaborate more, bring in more people in my videos, and take on bigger projects,” he says. Unlike the tokenistic use of influencers often seen in films, he notes that this project was different. “Ken actually knew what we did and understood our strengths,” he shares.
As for what’s next, Thajmola is clear. “This is just the beginning. I hope it’s not a five-minute run but maybe I have a ten-minute screen presence. Something light-hearted and nice. And perhaps, a character that doesn’t bully others.”
For now, Thaj is still basking in the success and wants to do more personally curated of work on Instagram and the layered demands of cinema. As for his parents, they are now geared up to answer more calls.