The first time Narain stepped into the large campus of Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, he says it looked like a set straight from a romantic film. Narain went on to become a successful movie star later, but it was on this campus that he learned the basics of acting. “I wanted to join this college as it was one of the most sought-after institutions in Kerala. I was keen on studying psychology but got admission to the Maths department.”
His days as a future mathematician lasted just three months when he switched his degree programme to actuarial science, something akin to chartered accountancy. Since the course was relatively new, there were only a handful of students. The course did not have enough faculties and so, his batch would have classes only for a few hours everyday. Even that would get over by 10 am.
“The three years that followed were some of the best years of my life,” he says. “We were a group of friends from different batches — all fun-loving guys. We’d roam around the campus till evening. We used to get on top of the open-air auditorium and sing loudly. It was a very big campus that even has a place called ‘Ooty’. It’s a scenic area and was often the most happening spot on the campus.”
Narain’s acting aspirations took wings during his wandering days.
He asked his seniors to cast him in their English dramas but they turned him down. “They were seasoned actors who encouraged me to put together
a team and create a drama. Sooraj, my friend, was the only one willing. So we ended up doing Edward Albee’s Zoo Story that had just two characters.”
This drama won the inter-collegiate drama competition at the university level and Narain was selected the best actor of the year. “It was a great moment. It was a moment that told me, ‘I can do something; there is still hope’.” From then on, acting became his passion.
His passion didn’t stop with acting alone. “I had a crush on a girl. I saw her in my first year. It was a sweet feeling that lasted through my college days,” confesses Narain.
So was he like Murali, the shy student who falls in love with his classmate, in his 2006 blockbuster Classmates? “Yeah, I was a little like him but our friends knew about our romance. Like in the movie, I would sing for my girl from the stage if she were among the audience. In fact, the sets of Classmates bought back memories of my college days. It was nostalgic.”
After Narain graduated in 1998, he did a course in cinematography at the MGR Govt Film and Television Institute, Chennai, and pursued a career in the films. “I think it is during college days that your character gets moulded. Some of my best friends are my college buddies. We used to meet on every New Year’s Day for many years after we graduated.”
He recalls one such occasion when their entire batch met at one of their friends’ wedding. “During Tony’s wedding, all of us were in Kerala. It was just a day after my movie Classmates released. After the wedding, we all went to the theatre to watch the film.
Later, my friends told me ‘well, not bad’. I was elated”.
—aswathy@expressbuzz.com