In the wake of RDX’s phenomenal success, is it apt to say now that the action blockbuster can be used as a marker to categorise Shane Nigam’s career into a pre-RDX and post-RDX phase?
Perhaps it’s too early to say, but a shift in the actor’s script choices has made it markedly evident that he is moving from darker roles to relatively lighter ones.
In this candid conversation ahead of his upcoming police thriller Vela, co-starring Sunny Wayne, Shane Nigam reflects on his career so far, the success of RDX, his current evolutionary phase and script choices, and more...
Did you work the hardest for RDX?
I would say I did more work in another film than RDX, but nobody noticed it. It was Valiyaperunnal, for which an intense physical transformation was required on my part, for playing a dancer and choreographer. Compared to that, RDX was a breeze, to be very frank. It wouldn’t be even wrong to say that my experience in Valiyaperunnal wasn’t rewarding because that film didn’t reach people. Be it for the stunts or dance sequences, none of the efforts paid off, unlike RDX. But if I were to compare the scale, Valiyaperunnal was bigger. I had put aside months to work on it, around five to six months of training before shooting it for another six-seven months.
But no matter how much effort you put in, it must be complemented by the effort of the right technicians, including choreography, lensing, and various other departments to make something look appealing.
The popularity of the song Neela Nilave, choreographed by Sandy master, is a perfect testament to that. One has to take a giant leap to make such big films work. While I was shooting RDX, I had doubts about its success amid all these ‘realistic’ films. I was concerned about people trolling, for example, the way we approached the songs. Some of these things are even beyond my logical sense when compared to the films I did before. (Laughs)
The reason it worked out so well is because of the talented technicians. Had we gone with alternative options, we wouldn’t have seen the same level of results. The efforts of Anbariv masters and Sandy master deserve much appreciation.
I must also add that producers should be willing to spend money on such talents instead of trying to think of saving money all the time, which is the usual tendency in Malayalam cinema. That wasn’t the case with RDX.
I realised how difficult dancing to a song is after doing Neela Nilave and Halaballoo. You see, there’s a way of doing certain things. I had done a lot of dance in Valiyaperunnal, but the final film didn’t have any of that. Two dance sequences and two fight sequences got cut. Maybe they weren’t effective or whatever, I don’t know.
It was RDX that made us feel that our efforts were rewarded. It helped negate the disappointments I felt earlier, sort of helped restore that balance, you know.
What factors govern your current script choices?
You see, back then, the films I did were the kind I wanted to watch. My viewing habits have changed now. I’m enjoying lighter films even more now. I have a newfound appreciation for big, commercial films. So, yes, at the moment I’m leaning more towards lighter fare these days. Having said that, there are certain films I signed and shot for before RDX and Corona Papers that are getting released now, such as Vela (releasing this Friday). It’s a different kind of thriller; not the usual investigative kind involving the pursuit of a thief or a killer, but rather about an ego clash between two cops, and an interesting past incident tied to that conflict. It becomes a full-fledged thriller towards the end.
I found your performances in Veyil and Bhoothakalam to be exceptional. It is impressive how you managed to maintain the continuity in the former despite the schedule breaks. And since you mentioned a change in viewing habits, do you feel that you’ve grown weary of realistic fare?
Yes, like I said earlier, a change in viewing habits plays a big part. You see, films like Veyil and Bhoothakalam require a lot of emotional investment.
We have to go deep into a darker space, otherwise, it would feel like we are merely on the periphery. But there’s also a negative side to that because such roles take an emotional toll. I felt that it was not conducive to my mental well-being. Or, if you are willing to do that, you might have to come up with some mechanism that would help maintain a detachment with a certain character, but I don’t think I’m capable of that.
Maybe it’s possible for me to do such roles now with a lot more ease than I did back when I was 23 or 24.
To tell you the truth, I don’t think Malayalam cinema has the kind of setting or circumstances to help an actor play such roles in a professional manner. I can’t say for sure if that exists in some other place, though.
‘I have a newfound appreciation for commercial cinema’
To be specific, a more encouraging environment? Do deadlines constrict you?
See, aren’t we the happiest when we cherish doing a film? And speaking of deadlines, a film like Veyil, for example, was completed ahead of schedule, which is the highlight. The first schedule was planned for 25 days but completed in 18 days. But, let me see if I can explain the actual problem with more clarity. When we are doing a character, and whatever vulnerabilities we have at the time are questioned, a sense of disillusionment creeps in. The feeling of ‘I did all that work, but you are still behaving like this.’ You see what I mean?
But today, things have changed to a point where I can carry on with my work with all aspects of my life balanced, be it professional, financial or whatever. I’m presently going through an evolutionary phase. I’ve figured out a way to design my career more responsibly. I stepped away from darker subjects when I felt they weren’t that rewarding.
Looking back, I think I found peace and luck with films like Bhoothakalam, for which I found more appreciation and recognition than I got for other films. I’m very grateful for that, and I’ve never felt that my efforts went to waste there. But when I look at the overall picture, I realise that most audiences now have an affinity towards lighter films.
I found Bhoothakalam to be the most astonishingly original horror film from not just Malayalam but Indian cinema in general. It did a lot with very little. Was it director Rahul Sadasivan’s vision that convinced you to not only star in it but also produce it?
When I first heard that story, I approached Ambukka (producer Anwar Rasheed) with a plan for me to co-produce and star in. After we switched it on, it went through some changes —not in the story but in the screenplay, which evolved through a lot of discussions. We improved around 80% of the dialogues, for which I also sat down daily for two months before filming began. The creative contributions came from everyone, not just the producer and actor. The complete vision and design were all Rahul ettan’s. The film he had in mind was on par with what we see in international cinema. Its USP was the minimal manner in which it showed its horror-inducing elements, and Rahul ettan had told us about adopting a less is more approach for that, which worked out to the film’s advantage.
Did you consider releasing Bhoothakalam in theatres?
No, because it was a tricky situation considering how theatres had just reopened during the pandemic, and there was no telling how the response would be. Ambukka had discussed the risk factor associated with such a decision, especially considering the difficulty following the reception to Trance, so it was decided that Bhoothakalam would be better off as an OTT release. I had a wish to see it released in theatres, but when considering everyone else’s circumstances at the time, I felt it wouldn’t have been ideal.
Have you received any feedback about some of your characters being relatable to not just people in their 20s but also older age groups?
In terms of accessibility, I would say it was RDX that reached more people than my other films. The thing is, despite my earlier films having a predominantly youth audience, they were not exactly youthful or colourful films, were they? But like I said earlier, at least I’m glad that films like Kumbalangi Nights and Bhoothakalam fetched nationwide notice amongst a certain group of audiences. Though RDX was based on a familiar template, it helped fill a void that many felt for a long time.
Do you work best in a time-bound scenario or one that takes a long time?
Sometimes, spending a lot of time on a film doesn’t necessarily guarantee the best results, as in the case of Valiyaperunnal. Sometimes, it’s better to follow a time-bound approach, as in the case of RDX. When we follow the former method, and it doesn’t yield any positive results, it not only causes a huge financial loss but also a waste of time and energy. In the time that they took to finish Valiyaperunnal, I could’ve done a couple of films.
How attached are you to the response of a film - negative or positive?
Well, the result certainly affects us. I often feel that it wasn’t always proportional. Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of late recognition. There are times when we lament that some films didn’t reach that many eyeballs. I think the audience also understands that.
Actors often keep themselves updated by watching other actors’ films. Is there a recent film that impressed you a lot?
Off the top of my head, Sivakarthikeyan’s Maaveeran is one I enjoyed a lot. It had all the necessary ingredients to guarantee an entertaining experience. I finished watching a lot of pending movies recently, like Rajini sir’s Petta.
What are you shooting for at the moment?
Little Hearts, with Shine Tom chettan, and produced by Sandra Thomas. It has that holiday flavour, a Christmas/Christian background. It’s a very cheerful film to be seen in a happy mood. I haven’t done a character like this before.