He earned his first set of fans in his classmates who were enthralled by his captivating rendering of film stories, which were spiced up by his prowess in mimicry. Thus, mimicry became his staple for life and became his passport to the film world. In a short time, he was seen on screen in a cameo and slowly got elevated into characters which made us laugh and cry. He got made a name for himself in a couple of years and was called ‘Janapriya Nayakan’, or the mass hero, by delivering consecutive hits which entertained the audience of all ages.
Actor Dileep, a couple of days after his birthday, spoke to Chandrakanth Viswanath, from the sets of Siddique Lals’ comeback movie King Liar, on life, charity, stardom, belief and the friends who changed his life, while skipping the topics that enriched the grapevine, as he steps into his 25th year in films.
Unlike many other frontline actors of the present, you had to struggle a lot to be in the place you are in now - one of the main pillars of the industry.
Only a very few heroes had entered the industry through minor roles, like me, whereas many others had a safe launch. But Mammookka and Lalettan were fortunate of being at the top in the best times of Malayalam cinema. Those films came out in the two decades from 1980 and are the ones we all watch repeatedly. Both of them had the support of a host of film makers like M T Vasudevan Nair, Padmarajan, Bharathan, K G George, Sathyan Anthikkad, Sreenivasan etc. But in my case, no big names were there in the list, except for Lohi sir (Lohithadas) initially. It was the friends, who grew along with me who supported me in films.
Have your friendships been beneficial to you always?
My entry into films and who I am today are all because of my friends. I had good friends like Rafi Meccartin and Benny (P Nayarambalam), with whom I could communicate easily. It helped me in a big way. I would not have been in Kalabhavan if (Kalabhavan) Rahman had not introduced me. So, I support friends and stand for them. But, some of them left me by showing their true colours, may be because they find it difficult to keep their masks on always. If they left me, its my gain and their loss, as I am a good friend to them even now. I do not want to name them as they know who they are.
You have gone through very difficult situations in your career and life. How strong are you as a person?
I get affected easily. There were situations where I thought of ending my life. But the concern for others and the support of some persons, especially Innocent had helped me a lot. When I was going through a bad patch, he told me, ‘Dear, I got cancer and you got this. Don’t run away from it, but fight it’. I respect him a lot for his perspective and sense of humour. Who other than Innocent can laugh at the matter that a chapter in school books for fifth standard students is devoted to him, a eight standard dropout.
Humour is your forte and that’s what landed you in cinema. Nowadays, everybody is trying out humour. Do you think there is an overdose of humour
everywhere?
What is wrong in people laughing? Nowadays there are a lot of comedy shows and programmes. Making someone laugh is really difficult. Let people laugh and make it a celebration.
Malayalees tend to imitate everything. But, most of them don’t consider mimicry an art form. Even many actors, including you, were looked down upon for being a mimicry artist.
If you take some of the big names in the industry, they all have a background in mimicry. Acting has a lot to do with imitation. Those who consider mimicry as an inferior form of art are jealous of the popularity that mimicry artists enjoy. When you criticise, you must be able to do at least a bit of what they do.
You began your career with a slightly older generation. Now a generation of stars and technicians you introduced in Malarvadi Arts Club are ruling the roost. What changes do you think has come upon the industry?
You can see the difference that was brought about after the digital revolution in the shooting sets. Earlier, we used to stand up when the director arrives as he is the captain of the ship. Now the scenario has changed. We, even now address the director as ‘sir.’ The new generation address them as ‘eda, macha, bro’ and as they feel like. I won’t say the changes are bad. But, I think it is good to show respect to elders at the sets, irrespective of their profession.
Did you change your style recently to suit the new generation?
I learn a lot from the new generation, including from my daughter Meenakshi and nephews. If I don’t do that I will become outdated. I want to catch up with them for my survival. Recently, I did a few realistic films as many demanded I do those kind of movies. However, even some of them did not turn up for those movies. My audience want to be entertained and I will continue to do my kind of films. Of course with innovations and variety.
What about your reverence for Saibaba and the bio-pic that was planned on him in which you were supposed to play the seer?
The work on the movie is progressing. The script is being reworked with the support of the persons who were personally associated with Baba. It needs a lot of preparations as many persons who lived in his time are appearing as characters.
Will it be a film that would herald Dileep as an actor for the future generations?
I cannot comment on that. Baba came to my life like a miracle. When this project came to me, I looked for books to learn more about him and I thought I would commit the project after I read books on him in seven days. Five days passed without any such thing happening. On the sixth day, when Manju (Warrier) came home after shopping, she had a set of books in her hands. I was shocked to find out those were the books I thought of.
Nowadays you are into a lot of charity and social work and is seen supporting a lot of friends financially.
I work as the brand ambassador of Kerala action force. It has Dr Tony Fernandez and Dr Hyderali as its heads. We do a lot of social service. It includes giving eye sight to many, building homes for persons with three to five cents of land and support for education. Besides, G P Memorial Trust, set up in the memory of my father, also takes up a lot of charity initiatives.
Recently, you paid a visit to Kanchanamala the living heroine of a legendary love story. However, you were criticised and your gesture was termed as a ploy to take the advantage of the superhit movie Ennu Ninte Moideen.
I went to Kanachanamma after reading about her. I was shocked to see her pictures in a ramshackle shed that houses B P Moideen Seva Mandir. I thought she was living at the shed. No one was extending a helping hand. I went there after talking to some people. When I called her Kanchanamma, she said if I’m supporting her it shows my big heart. But, when I reached there, I could learn that there was a legal issue between her and the film makers. So, I convinced her that I reached the spot and supported the initiative because of the film. When I returned, I talked to both Vimal (director) and Prithvi (Raj) and that is all that is needed. Parvathy (heroine) called me. All of them were of the view that what I did was right. I do not have any intention to gain mileage through this. If so, why should I do this to promote the film of another star? As they say there can be varied opinions for any activity. But, where were they before I went there? I could realise the situation because I too belong to cinema. I had the responsibility to talk this to the director and the star. Those who criticise me are those who have no knowledge about me and has never met.
Social media has become the haven for many user reviews. What are your thoughts on these instant reviews?
Most of these reviews kill the film on day one. They don’t let the baby grow. Instead they engage in a kind of infanticide. When you write a negative review before the end of the first half, you are discouraging thousands who would come to watch the movie. I am not saying one does not have the right to say something is good or bad. But at least, watch a movie before commenting about it. You must remember there are atleast 2,000 families making a living from every movie and these irresponsible comments will harm them.