An astute laparoscopic surgeon when in his medical institution. A passionate actor otherwise. Juggling these two roles required Dr Amar Ramachandran’s dexterity for the past 15 years. His latest Dwayam, too, demanded that.
“He used to shoot for two days and then would go attend his medical duties. He is passionate about both,” says Santosh Balakrishnan, writer and director of Dwayam, a feel-good psychological feature film that has been well-received at film festivals across the country.
Notably, Dwayam also fetched Dr Amar a special jury mention at the recent State Film Critics Awards, for his portrayal of a PTSD-affected man who finds solace in the company of a 10-year-old boy.
“It was a relevant subject — on how a mental situation finds its natural solution in constructive relationships,” says Dr Amar, in the midst of attending to his patients.
Being a prominent gynaecologist, how does he manage films alongside a thriving practise? “I have a great team. They help me be away, handling cases that require urgent attention. But I also make sure that I do not remain long away from my medical duties. I take up roles keeping that in mind,” he says.
The Kannur-based doctor adds there were meaty roles that he had to bypass because the projects required him to stay away from medical duties for 30 to 35 days at a stretch. “One of the films I turned down has now become a hit,” he smiles.
Dr Amar, who is a fertility specialist, has done 21 films since 2013, when he acted in Day and Night as a doctor. Milestones in his career came in 2017 with Gold Coins, and Dwayam in which he plays the lead.
“There is another one I played lead in — Pakshikalku Parayanullathu — but it kind of got shelved. That was quite an off-beat work,” he adds.
Some Tamil ones too are in his kitty — Route No.17, in which he has acted with his son Nihal, and the yet-to-be released Thainilam, in which he plays the lead with his daughter Neha.
A major project in the pipeline is Lovely, for which director Aashiq Abu wielded the camera for the first time. “Actually, he was the director of photography in Rifle Club, too,” says Dr Amar.
Films have always been a passion, the doc continues. “Watching films, the making process, and also getting autographs from actors,” he laughs.
To be a fulltime actor or filmmaker, one needs to dedicate oneself more, he says. “It requires a lot of time and effort. I cannot afford to do that because my patients would be affected,” he says. “Yet, the passion in me helps me manage as best as I can.”
Dr Amar believes everyone should set aside some “creative time”. “In Kochi, every second person has something or the other to do with films. They may be different kinds of professionals but they also are into films, either in acting or in the technical side,” he says.
“Film field has become more accessible now for the common man with a creative idea. This has brought in a very informed, interested crowd into the field.”