KOCHI : Acting gives many an opportunity to flesh out a character that hardly reflects who they are in real life. An offer for a role in the Prime Video show Poacher presented actor Noorudheen Ali Ahmed with one such opportunity. “I have not even hurt a fly, and there I was shooting down an elephant. It seemed surreal to me at the time, but people now recognise me as the guy wielding the gun in Poacher. In fact, someone from the crowd called out the real name of the character I play in the series, Ikarra Vasu, alias Varattupara Veerappan, even during shoot.”
In Poacher, Noorudheen plays a character named Raaz who hunts elephants for a living. The character is based on real life, and although it is a cameo, the makers of the show included the actor in its poster. I asked Noorudheen how he felt about being a part of the poster for a big production like Poacher, and this is what he had to say.
“I feel blessed and grateful to be part of the poster. My screen presence is limited in Poacher, but I am on the poster along with the three leads in the series. Initially, my picture being on the poster took me by surprise, but in hindsight, I realised that it is there because I play a character role that is important for the story.”
It is not uncommon for an actor who even plays a cameo in a web series to feature on its poster, unlike a feature-length film. I asked Noorudheen about this contrasting aspect of both mediums, cinema and web series, and he was quick to acknowledge it while recognising his artistic roots.
“I have been a prominent theatre artist since my school days. It used to give me a lot of satisfaction. Now that you brought this up, I have to say that it was the connections I formed during my theatre days that helped me land a role in Poacher. The series is giving me exactly the kind of visibility that an artist like myself wants at this stage of their career. It is by God’s grace and also an output of the honest work that I put in as a theatre artist for all those years.”
Noorudheen started out as a theatre artist, but he says he wanted to try his hand in cinema to push his range as an actor. He says he could overcome the difficulties in his initial acting days thanks to a director such as Zakariya Mohammed (Sudani from Nigeria).
“I took a break from theatre to take on more realistic roles that demand a greater deal of physical and emotional effort, and screen acting presented me with a good chance to do that.”
Speaking of physical effort, Poacher has a scene where Noorudheen climbs a tree with a gun, gets on top of a branch, takes aim, and shoots down an elephant. It is the scene that establishes his character as a hunter.
“See, this is exactly what I am saying—acting is often make-believe. I have no training in tree climbing, and there were also ropes and other support to do that scene. It was up to me to make it seem convincing enough for the audience, but the credit goes to creator Richie Mehta for it as he envisioned it and executed it with DOP Johan Heurlin Aidt.”
Noorudheen also thanked Gopan Chidambaram for helping him better communicate with the non-Malayali crew of the show. A script writer known for Iyobinte Pusthakam and Thuramukham, Gopan wrote the Malayalam lines for Poacher and served as a translator for the show.
If there is one moment that best translates from paper to the screen in Poacher, it has to be Noorudheen’s character-establishing sequence. It is an opportunity the actor grabbed with both hands.