With his side-splitting mimicry, he has been a household name in Kerala for years. His entry to tinsel town didn’t begin with a bang, yet his stint with the industry so far has been fulfilling enough. Tiny Tom, who has made his presence felt in Mollywood with his roles in ‘Pranchiyettan and the Saint’, ‘Indian Rupee’ and ‘Thalsamayam Oru Penkutti’ has his hands full with challenging roles. In atleast three movies, he plays the lead.
Tiny who is right now busy with the shooting of ‘God for sale: Bhakthi Prasthanam’ by Babu Janardhanan in which he plays the role of a spiritual guru says, “How I longed to do a serious role in cinema.” He pauses and adds, “I know that doing comedy isn’t easy and it requires comic flair. Infact, I have felt that, evoking laughter is the most strenuous task. But then, doing the same genre, I was afraid whether I would be typecast.”
The actor is excited about his role in the much-touted Kamal film on J C Daniel, ‘Celluloid’. In the film, he plays the role of Joseph, the man who introduces Rosy, the first heroine of Malayalam cinema to Daniel. Tiny is particularly delighted to work with Prithviraj in the movie, with whom, he believes he has perfect camaraderie.
Currently, there is the trend of role reversal among character actors, what with many villains turning into comedians and vice versa.
Tiny who essayed the role of the unassuming villain of ‘Beautiful’ says, “Irrespective of the hierarchy, there is immense scope for every actor in the industry. Over a period, Mollywood has evolved a lot. Our industry, however small it is, portrays stories that stay close to life. In reality, script is the superstar of the industry.”
Each role that Tiny has in his kitty is poles apart from the other. George Jijo Kunjeria aka Kunju, his character in ‘Out of Focus’ is a typical example of the sort of men we frequently bump into in life, with no particular aim or aspiration. In ‘Housefull’, he is a traffic police man. The film throws light into the life of a government employee who suddenly confronts economic crisis as his wife gives birth to quadruplets.
In ‘Veedillathavante Veedu’, he essays the struggles of a street drama player who has no house to stay. In Ranjith’s ‘Spirit’, Tiny essays an interesting character- of a bartender, who has never had a single drop of liquor in his whole life. He is also associated with Baburaj in two films, ‘Naughty Professor’ and ‘Mannamkattayum Kariyilayum’.
Tiny says that there is no use in being a busy actor if one cannot do good roles. “I have turned more selective, of late. Maybe this is the peak time of my career, but I just don’t want to grab all the roles that comes my way. I will only choose roles to which I can do full justice,” says Tiny.
The actor, who has been the judge at several comedy reality shows, has something to say to the upcoming youth who aspire to excel. “Acting and imitating are extremely different. One who excellently imitates the other may not be a good actor. For that, one needs to be natural.”