Dev Mohan plays an 18-year-old in his new film Parakramam, for which he had to undergo a physical transformation. In an exclusive conversation with us, the actor says that he relishes such an endeavour. “If I have a couple of months for it, I can gain or lose five-six kilos without much trouble. For Parakramam, I trimmed down only six-seven kilos since the character requires it.”
For an actor in his early thirties, playing a character who is about 15 years younger on screen likely entails its own set of challenges. Fortunately for Dev Mohan, Parakramam is set in a period of life that he experienced in his younger days. “In 2005, I was much younger than my character in Parakramam. But I have come across people of the same age in college, so it is a space that is not too unfamiliar for me,” says Dev Mohan, while adding, “The character also ages on screen, and there are some portions exploring his life at 25-26.”
Parakramam stars the actor alongside Sangita and Renji Panicker, who play his character’s parents. The film’s trailer has a scene where the mother hits him on the head with a bag, hinting at an element of conflict between the two. Speaking about his experience working with her, Dev says, “Sangita ma’am seems the same as from her late 90s films such as Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala and Vazhunnor,” Dev laughs.
“She said, back then, actors used to rehearse a lot as retakes while shooting on film would lead to financial loss. But today, we take a look at the choreography, sometimes rehearse, and jump straight into the take. She told me that she enjoys the process more now for that reason.” Adding on about their dynamic in the film, Dev says, “Our characters always quarrel. We got along easily on set, though.”
On the contrary, Dev says that his dynamic with his father (Renji Panicker) is more easygoing. “He considers his father a superhero. He is a military officer who comes home occasionally, much to the delight of my character. He has the full freedom to talk to his father about anything.” Responding to a question about whether the dynamic is similar to the one between Nivin Pauly and Renji Panicker in Premam, Dev says, “It is similar, but I have more combination scenes with him than Nivin.”
Parakramam also stars Vaazha fame Siju Sunny, Amith Mohan Rajeswari, and Jeomon Jyothir. But Dev says, “It is a film shot before Vaazha. Director Arjun gave us plenty of freedom to do the scenes our way while making suggestions whenever we went astray. We all play characters in the same age group. It is not an out-and-out comedy film, although there is some space for humour. It is a blend of family emotions, college life, and romance.”
Speaking about the college space, Dev’s character faces bullying from his seniors in the film. Addressing the relatability of this aspect, the actor says, “I do not have any direct experiences, but I know people who have, and some of them are in my close circle. Ragging is part of college life, but it should stay at a fun level and not go to a point where it hurts people. I could enjoy it back when I was in college, maybe because by then, the concept itself had become less intense compared to the days of Amrutham Gamaya.”
The actor is now shooting for a film that Jiyen Krishnakumar directs, with a screenplay by his Tiyaan collaborator Murali Gopy, and that also stars Arya. Dev says that it will have a Tamil dub version and might even release in other languages. “I dub for my films in other languages, such as in Telugu for Shaakuntalam. I do not work with a coach but rather depend on the feedback of my associate, dubbing studio sound engineer, and director. When I have to bring out any slang words or cultural nuances, I try to do it during the shoot itself to simplify the dubbing process,” explains Dev about his process.
The actor also recently wrapped a web series that Uyare fame Manu Ashokan directed with a Bobby–Sanjay screenplay. “You cannot call it a thriller, but it is of a similar genre. Malayalam cinema has not explored that genre a lot. It might release early next year on SonyLIV.”