Choosing one’s debut is a crucial decision. An impactful first impression can go a long way in setting the tone for how an actor’s career would pan out, which is why perhaps many artists go for roles that establish them as the upright hero. Anand Neelakantan doesn’t care for such a convention. The popular author-screenwriter ventured into acting at the age of 49 with Swaraj, a historical documentary-drama series on Doordarshan, in which he plays the villain, Ettappa Naicker. It was, Neelakantan says, the obvious choice.
“Most of my books are from the perspective of the so-called negative characters. Asura, which told the tale of Ramayana through Ravana’s eyes. Roll of the Dice and Rise of Kali retold the Mahabharata from the Kauravas’ point of view. Vanara was the tale of Bali. I have always relished telling the other side of such famous stories, and choosing to play an antagonist in Swaraj seemed like a natural progression,” he says.
Being telecast in all major Indian languages, Swaraj is based on the story of India’s fight for independence, with the spotlight on lesser-known heroes from across the country who contributed to it. “Conceived as a 75-episode series, it covers the period from Vasco Da Gama’s arrival in Calicut in 1498 to Independence. Some of the heroes in the series are Kunjali Marakkar, Velu Thambi Dalawa, Maradu Brother, Rani Abbakka, Kanhoji Angre, Begum Hazrat Mahal, and Pazhassi Raja,” says Neelakantan, who has also written the screenplay for several episodes.
Neelakantan’s Ettappa Naicker, the landlord who sided with the British, appears in the episode, also written by him, featuring the rebellion of the 18th-century Tamil king, Veera Pandya Kattabhomman, played by television actor Himmanshoo Malhotra. Other familiar names in the series include Hrishitta Bhatt, who plays Rani Lakshmi Bai, Suhasi Goradia Dhami as Velu Nachiyar, the first Indian queen to wage war against the East India Company, Jiten Lalwani as Sikh fighter Dayaram Singh, and Ankur Nayyar as Pazhassi Raja.
Although acting was a muse that Neelakantan always wanted to pursue, his already multi-faceted career kept him too occupied to give it serious thought. He is the author of the prequel trilogy to the S Rajamouli-directed Baahubali film series and has two audiobooks––Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons, and Nala’s Damayanti to his credit. Swaraj, he admits, was an “accidental debut”.
“The actor has originally chosen to play Ettappa was finding it difficult to pronounce the South Indian names correctly. I happened to be on the set and the director asked me to try my hand at the role. Since I had always nurtured a dream of being in front of the camera, I used the opportunity and took the plunge,” the actor says, adding that he has also appeared in a Malayalam ad film since.
Besides acting, Neelakantan is also exploring the direction and other aspects of filmmaking. “Though
I have written over 500 hours of screenplays for television and OTT, it is a vast field, and understanding all aspects of visual storytelling is crucial for me,” says the writer-actor, who has penned screenplays for productions such as Siya Ke Ram on Star TV, Mahabali Hanuman on Sony TV, Chakravarthy Ashoka on Colors and Sarfarosh on Netflix.
While the role in Swaraj might have happened by chance, Neelakantan says he will now consciously seek out and even create acting opportunities for himself.
“I have decided to write some characters I can play if the director dares to call me for the role. Who knows what path will open up in the future?” he says. Coming soon to a cineplex close to you.