Sudev Nair, the 34-year-old actor is well-known in the Malayalam film industry for his unforgettable role as Kiran in the film, My Life Partner. Sudev won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 2015 for his portrayal of a homosexual man. Since then the light green-eyed, broad-shouldered actor, has appeared in regional films like Anarkali, Abrahaminte Santhathikal and in the Hindi film Gulaab Gang. But it’s his recent Bollywood venture, India’s Most Wanted, that seems to have put Sudev in the spotlight.
The actor played Yusuf, the antagonist, opposite Arjun Kapoor. It’s the actor’s intense eyes and performance that seems to have impressed the audience. However, Sudev says he nearly lost the role because of his eye colour. “The colour of my eyes is distinct and very easy to identify. Although I had the intense look, the makers weren’t sure about casting me,” he reveals. The makers asked Sudev to use brown lenses to make him look like the character and only then was he signed on for the film. With his exceptional acting and screen presence, the actor has certainly made an impact.
Teething issues
For someone who was an introvert, Sudev has come a long way. He says, as a child he was quiet and preferred his own company. When he turned 13, something unusual happened. “I started b-boying and doing stage shows. I got addicted to the stage and the appreciation by audiences,” he reveals. “I also mimicked Rowan Atkinson, and that’s when the acting bug bit me,” Sudev adds further. Since then, there has been no looking back for the young man who graduated in acting from The Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 2011.
Apart from acting, Sudev is also known for his web series, Not Fit, which captures the adventures of a struggling actor. “It is a comedy, I would say it is deprecatory humour, on the underbelly of struggling actors in Mumbai, it’s based on my life,” he offers.
Next, the actor will be seen in two big-budget Malayalam projects. Sudev plays the antagonist opposite Nivin Pauly in —a period film set in the ’30s that's directed by Rajeev Ravi. “I am also in Maamaankam, a period drama, set in the 1800s, with Mammootty in the lead. I play one of the warriors in it. It’s inspired by a real-life incident. I had the advantage of being a kalaripayattu artiste, so I was selected.” nthuses.
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