Sudev Nair arrived with a bang in tinsel town. This Mumbaikar-Malayali boy shared the best actor award along with Nivin Pauly in the recently announced Kerala State Film Award-2014, for his debut flick, My Life Partner, directed by MB Padmakumar. He was also the villain in the Hindi movie, Gulab Gang.
The Computer Engineering graduate from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, shifted gears to pursue a postgraduate diploma in acting from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune in 2008-11. He immersed himself in watching films, participating in evening soirees and reading at FTII, which he says shaped much of his personality.
“At least two film screenings a day was the norm at FTII, either in the evening or at night. The institute has a trove of 35mm old black and white collection of world cinema. In addition, entry was free for students at the nearby National Film Archives of India. Such an experience cannot be had anywhere else,” says Sudev. Here, he got to watch “the most influential of movies”, like Citizen Kane in its original form. “Citizen Kane is said to be a must-watch movie for an acting enthusiast. The first time I watched the film was in Nagpur and I was left disappointed, because as a first-timer I felt the film was boring and didn’t quite get the hang of it. The second stint was at the institute when I watched it in the 35mm format, and I was quite impressed. Before completing the course, I watched it once more and was simply blown over by its mastery and had grown into the capacity to appreciate it.”
Sudev actively participated in the evening meetings among a pan-India melange of artists. There were slots open for discussions and debates. “These gatherings moulded my personality. Sometimes we indulged in debates over contemporary issues, discussed important matters or played music.”
After life at the institute, he came in search of an acting career in Kerala, only to return to Mumbai soon, as his North-Indian appearance and the emerald sparkle in eyes were too “outlandish” for the Malayalam film industry. But lady luck smiled at the 30-year-old soon enough when he bagged the lead in My Life Partner. Now Sudev is busy shooting for the film Anarkali, the second leg of which is scheduled in Hyderabad.
— meera.manu@newindianexpress.com