When cinema halls shut down during the pandemic, Anuraj O B turned to YouTube. He wrote and performed skits. As part of the comedy channel SUB Originals, he found a space to keep experimenting.
That eventually led him towards cinema, where he moved across roles, acting in front of the camera, writing behind it, and even composing when required.
He went on to appear in films such as Anthakshari, Tholvi FC, Vaazha and Oadum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira, while also establishing himself as a writer. He is currently on cloud nine as the Jiiva-starrer Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil — which he co-wrote and acted in — has emerged as a Pongal blockbuster.
That’s not it. His next project stars Mammootty. In a chat with TNIE, Anuraj speaks about his Tamil debut, the risks he has taken, and the long road from online content to mainstream cinema.
How did cinema become a dream for you?
I started doing dramas in school youth festivals mainly to skip classes. But once I got into it, I got genuinely interested in acting and writing.
Till Class 10, I mostly did comedy skits. At that time, I performed in a serious play that was well-received. That made me understand the artform’s depth, and how much it actually influenced me. That’s when I realised cinema was my path.
My family insisted I complete a degree, so I did that while continuing theatre through university festivals. I also made short films with friends. After finishing college, I messaged several Malayalam filmmakers requesting opportunities to assist them. That’s how I connected with director Anand Menon.
‘Gauthamante Radham’?
The initial project with him didn’t take off, but we connected well. When he started ‘Gauthamante Radham’, I was trying to write a script. He asked me to focus on writing instead of assisting. But I wanted to contribute to the film in some way. So I wrote and composed the title track, ‘Theythaka Thaaram’. That was my official entry into cinema.
You wrote ‘Oh Meri Laila’ at a young age. How did you handle its failure?
I was 22. The backlash was painful. But I was stubborn, and I persisted.
You began acting more. Was that a conscious choice?
After the film failed, many people advised me to step back from writing. But I wanted to prove myself as a writer. Acting offers came, but I prioritised writing. I was also involved as an additional writer in ‘Falimy’. I acted in ‘Anthakshari’ and ‘Tholvi FC’ in between.
After that came ‘Vaazha’. The team was familiar and we had been together through difficult phases. That film ended up giving all of us a new life.
People noticed your role in Oadum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira as well...
That was actually the first film I got a call for. Director Althaf Salime had reached out after watching my web series. I was stunned as he told me Fahadh Faasil would play the lead. Though the project got delayed, Althaf ikka gave me the opportunity to be part of the film’s journey. I admire his writing. Being involved in the scripting process was a great learning experience.
Talking of the web series, how did the YouTube-period shape you?
It helped many of us establish our faces among audiences. That helped while seeking opportunities. I had some work to show.
Almost everyone from the YouTube space — Sandeep Pradeep, Jomon Jyothir, Amith Mohan Rajeshwar, and even ‘Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil’ director Nithish Sahadev, are working in cinema now.
How did you become part of ‘Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil’?
It was unexpected. Nithish chettan and I were working on a script during ‘Falimy’. That later became our Mammootty project. Everything was ready. Mammootty had liked the story. But it got delayed due to his health issues.
At that time, actor Jiiva called Nithish chettan regarding the ‘Falimy’ remake. That wasn’t part of our plan. Jiiva then asked if we had any other projects. We narrated a theme that had been shelved ealier. Jiiva liked it, and the project came together quickly. We barely had 15–20 days for pre-production.It was a risk. But we had confidence in the material. It turned out to be a huge hit.
The Tamil industry is known for mass films. Going there with a comedy entertainer and making it work is not easy…
The initial version of the script was different. It had more emotional depth. But we felt humour could be brought into it. We worked more on situational humour. The timing also helped. It was released during Pongal. Since ‘Jananayagan’ got postponed, we got the top slot.
What can you share about the Mammootty project?
It’s a gangster film with dark humour as well as emotional layers. We are attempting a different approach and planning to begin by the end of April.
What’s next for you?
There’s a project to be announced soon with Kiran Josey, co-writer of ‘Premalu’. As an actor, I am part of ‘Cosmic Samson’, with Sandeep Pradeep in the lead. We are uniting again after ‘Kalyanakacheri’. Discussions are on in Tamil as well.