A glance at Kalidas Jayaram’s career trajectory shows that he has consistently hit the sweet spot between doing offbeat characters and working within the mainstream space. If his role as a transgender person, Sathar (Thangam from Paava Kadhaigal), won him plaudits, his ACP Prapanjan (Vikram) too left a lasting impression. Kalidas credits this balancing act to the evolving nature of cinema consumption.
“Earlier, a film became a hit when it had five songs and five fight sequences. Now, the audience’s perspective has changed, and they expect to see the uniqueness in commercial films as well. It’s a great time for actors like me and I think I will get more opportunities to play solid roles,” the actor says.
Kalidas’s latest outing is Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s series, Paper Rocket, and this marks the first time that he has taken part in long-form storytelling. “In films, there is hardly enough time to establish a character graph, but here, we have time to get more involved,” says Kalidas, who believes that his role, Jeeva, resonated with his real life. “He has some internal conflicts, which have to be shown subtly. That made the role further interesting.”
In previous interviews, Kalidas has admitted to being a ‘selfish actor’ and believes that all actors should be the same. “You ought to do what’s best for the character, and at the same time, make sure everyone else gets their due. Paper Rocket has a lot of senior artists playing some interesting characters. Working with them was a great experience and learning. It was a give-and-take process,” the actor explains.
In a way, Kalidas feels that Paper Rocket is similar to Thangam (Sudha Kongara’s short) and believes it to be ‘more than just a learning experience. Both projects have the actor battling inner demons. “A lot of people keep talking about Thangam to me, but I can tell you I did not have an enjoyable time shooting for it. The character had many struggles, and it operated in a dark zone.” Kiruthiga, Kalidas feels, has dealt with grimness in a lighter way. “Kiruthiga ma’am’s approach to topics like death and loss is not meant to be heavy or hard-hitting. I think she has a knack for handling such topics in a lighter way,” he adds.
While his last film, the celebrated Vikram, was heavy on action, Kalidas isn’t sure he wants to take up roles in the same genre. “I think it is a rather physical task. While I enjoy the action as a viewer, I can’t quite picture myself beating down 10-15 people. When I don’t believe it myself, I don’t think I can convince people to watch it either. But if things do fall in place, I might do it someday.”
Being the son of an established actor like Jayaram, Kalidas agrees he has a long way to go before comparisons can be made with his father. “We are different actors. Even his type of films and cinema is different from mine. From Padmarajan sir in Malayalam to Kamal sir in Tamil, he has worked with some of the best in the business. I have just begun my journey. I have exciting films in Pa Ranjith’s Natchathiram Nagargiradhu and Bejoy Nambiar’s next. Right now, I am just focussed on doing nice films.”
Much like Jayaram though, Kalidas too is cementing a place in both Malayalam and Tamil cinema, while looking to make a mark in other languages as well. “An important factor for me is knowing the team associated with a project. Ultimately, it should never feel like work,” the actor signs off.