Biju Menon says he was missing his village, the rural air and its innate innocence; one reason he decided to a play a solo lead after a long gap. ‘Vellimoonga’ was not made with a gigantic budget, nor did it raise any pre-release ruckus. It was not expected to rake in a huge return, but thanks to word of mouth, the film is still running in packed houses. It simply stole the thunder amidst films that hit the screen with much hype and hoopla. “We knew it will be a well-liked film, but we were not prepared for such an overwhelming response. I think its simplicity and nostalgic setting did the trick,” says the actor.
‘Vellimoonga’ is more of a hark-back to the 90s, old-world charm cleverly blended with soft humour. Ask him about the risk involved in opting a seemingly-outdated project, especially in the thick of new-age frenzy, he says, “I felt the film will be a breather, just like serving nadan food to people who are struck with Chinese. The film has no larger-than-life element or exaggerated moments. It’s a simple-and-sweet tale told in an unpretentious style.” He plays a complete villager in the film, perhaps the biggest sleeper hit of the year. The actor says he simply couldn’t say no to ‘Vellimoonga’, a subject dripping homeliness. “As movie-goer I missed such kind of films and Mammachan was a character I could easily slip into” he says. The actor says he prefers being part of an ensemble cast as solo leads are too stressful. “It’s like shouldering the whole burden and I don’t want to be the sole cause of any producer’s loss,” he laughs. He says his switch to comedy was not a conscious decision, as he essayed serious roles in the beginning of his career. “After ‘Marikkundoru Kunjadu’ such roles started coming my way and after a couple of films like ‘Ordinary’ and ‘Romans’ people started looking forward to such lighter roles. But I maintain a certain balance as too much comedy can spoil the whole thing,” he says.
The actor says he picks roles he is confident he can pull off. “I am not in a position in the industry where stories are written for me. From whatever is offered I select films I am comfortable with, and if I have something to perform I hardly care whether it’s a positive or negative role.”
The actor’s next is Sugeeth’s untitled film based on a real-life incident and in the film he will be seen in the company of his lucky co-star Kunchako Boban. Later he will be sharing the screen with Prithviraj in Sachi’s directorial debut and next in pipeline is a P Sukumar film with Fahad Fazil. “All theses films are unique in one way or another and are not the kind of stuff that will test your patience,” he adds.