His next-door-neighbourly charm has been alluring to Malayali audiences for the past 50 years. His stint as a producer too was equally successful with many hit films including Aye Auto and Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu to his credit.
In an interaction with TNIE, Maniyanpilla Raju opens up about his journey filled with ups and downs, close ties with the ‘Big Ms’ of Mollywood, how the industry has changed over the years, how he happened to identify talents like Rahman and Prithviraj, and how he survived cancer. Excerpts:
How do you reflect on your 50-year-long film career?
I hail from a non-artistic background, but my passion has always driven me. After being rejected by the Pune Film Institute, I went to the Adyar Film Institute where I was selected as the first Malayali acting student. K Balachander and M N Rajam chose me for the screen test, marking the true beginning of my journey. I graduated in 1975 and started off with Mohiniyattom, directed by Sreekumaran Thampi. I was never ready to give up and that has made me what I am today.
At the time, few pursued acting as a formal study. Did your family support your decision?
I have been passionate about acting since school and viewed it as my path forward. My father used to tell me that I wasn’t good at studies, so I should enrol for LLB (laughs out). During my time at the film institute, I managed with Rs 100 a month. Initially, I stayed in a good hostel in Madras, then moved to Uma Lodge in Kodambakkam. I shared a small, sweltering top-storey room with another person for Rs 45. Mallika, my classmate from Model School, introduced me to Sreekumaran Thampi. When I met him with my portfolio, he bluntly said I wouldn’t make it in an industry dominated by Adoor Bhasi and Prem Nazir. ‘Have you ever checked your face in the mirror?’ he asked. He even advised me to return home by the evening train. But soon after, he called to offer me a small role in Mohiniyattom... and that became my cinema entry.
Weren’t you disheartened when somebody like Sreekumaran Thampi asked you to check yourself in the mirror?
Yes. But giving up was not an option for me. I have always been a fighter. Coincidentally, my role in Mohiniyattom mirrored my own struggle as the character too was searching for a job. My first shot was cleared in the first take and Adoor Bhasi sir praised my performance. On the way back, I met Kamal Haasan. Meeting him made me truly happy. It was my very first day in cinema. Later, I asked Thampi sir why he had called me after having dismissed me so harshly. He said his wife scolded him for being unkind to a young student. Fearing I might do something drastic, he added a new scene just to include me (smiles).
It’s said you considered jumping in front of a train after failing in Class 6...
No, you are wrong! My plan was to jump into the sea (chuckles)! My friend Gopalakrishnan and I set out towards the Valiyathura bridge. However, exhaustion and hunger slowed us down. On the way, I suggested we give school another chance. An elderly man offered us a glass of buttermilk. That moment marked the end of my first attempt (at ending life). In the film-related incident, however, I never felt the urge to take my life.
How did you fare between Mohiniyattom and Maniyanpilla Adhava Maniyanpilla which gave you a break?
During that period, I acted in around 38 films, many alongside Nazir sir and Jayan. I had my share of struggles too. I remember, during the shoot of ‘Raju-Rahim’, I faced an issue with the timing of my dialogue delivery, which upset Bahadoor sir. The moment overwhelmed me and I broke down on set. Later, Bahadoorikka comforted me and advised me to consider changing my screen name. ‘Sudheer Kumar’ is my official name. After the film Maniyanpilla, people started calling me Maniyanpilla Raju.
Which name do you truly identify with?
Raju. That has always been my pet name. My parents and close friends call me Raju. My grandmother used to call me ‘Rayu’ (smiles). Very few people know me by the name Sudheer Kumar.
How did ‘Maniyanpilla Adhava Maniyanpilla’ happen?
One day, I met Balachandra Menon. He had written a 200-page book titled ‘Paramu’, which he wanted to turn into a movie. ‘You’ll be my Paramu,’ he told me. Later, Menon became a top filmmaker. One day, while I was asleep, my roommate... sound recordist Harikumar... woke me up, saying Menon wanted to see me. That’s how ‘Paramu’ happened. It was first titled ‘Maniyanpilla’ and was later changed to ‘Adhava Maniyanpilla’, after a discussion with Venu Nagavally. The character was inspired by a real person. That film became a turning point for me. After that, there were continuous offers.
You mostly played character roles...
In Chandrakumar’s films alone, I played the lead in 14 movies. I did around 10–20 lead roles in total.
Your relationship with Mohanlal began in school…
Yes. I was the best actor for three years while at Model School. That’s when Mohanlal and a few others came to me, saying they wanted to act in a play. I taught them a play called ‘Computer Boy’, where I made him look like a 90-year-old. Mohanlal, who was in Class 6, became the best actor and the work won the best play award. Mohanlal still says, ‘It was your encouragement that made me who I am.’ But I always deny that. I was just a reason. Mohanlal truly has a halo around him... he’s a gift from the gods.
When Mohanlal acted that day, did you feel he had the potential to grow in Malayalam cinema?
No... but even back then, Mohanlal had that quality... if you give him a 10-page dialogue and ask him to deliver it in a single shot, he will pull it off without a problem. He has incredible grasping power. Among the current lot, Prithviraj is excellent in that regard. Siddique too. Even if it has complicated English words, like the ones Shashi Tharoor sir uses, they can say them effortlessly.
You have spoken about your friendship with Mohanlal. How’s your relationship with Mammootty?
I feel if Mammootty has three or four close friends in cinema, I’d be one among them. I call him more than I call Mohanlal. I respect and treat him like an elder brother. We always call each other and extend greetings. He came to see me when I wasn’t well.
You are a cancer survivor. How did you know that you had the disease?
I often had a banging sensation and pain in my ears. Usually, cancers come silently, unannounced and without pain. Had it not been for this pain, my cancer would’ve gone unnoticed. I met a few doctors, but to no avail. Later, it was detected when an MRI was taken. It was in my throat, at the base of my tongue and towards the tonsils. It was removed. I later underwent radiation and chemotherapy sessions.
Those were difficult times, but over now. No more medication. I’ve completely recovered. Those who are diagnosed with cancer should face life with greater courage. I’m someone who takes everything in a positive manner. One doesn’t have to be scared if diagnosed with cancer. I decided to fight. I remember actor Lissy telling me, ‘You are a fighter.’ Mammootty also encouraged me to fight.
As an artist, what difference have you noticed in the film industry of the past and the present?
Back then, there were no caravans. After a shot, all of us would sit together and have conversations. Nowadays, the moment there’s a break, everyone disappears into their caravans. For us, everything was about cinema. We would discuss our characters, what we were doing in the film... but these days, it isn’t like that. Their conversations revolve around cars, business… our kind of bonding is very rare. When I fell ill, it was Mohanlal and Mammootty who came to see me. The youngsters are intelligent, brilliant, and hardworking. But I don’t feel there’s the same unity among them. Most of them don’t know much about their seniors. Even if they do, they don’t seem to care.
There has been a change in films as well, right? Earlier, there were full-length entertainers like ‘Boeing Boeing’. But we don’t see many such films now...
Yes, times have changed, and naturally, themes have also evolved. People have become more educated. Earlier, cinema meant only (movie) theatre. But now, with OTT platforms, viewers have started watching international films and movies in other languages. They have learnt to understand what a good film is. You can’t fool them anymore.
Boeing Boeing is a movie that many people rewatch and laugh heartily to…
Ganesh Kumar’s mother used to tell me that whenever she feels emotionally low, she watches Boeing Boeing.
Do you feel the absence of Jagathy Sreekumar in Malayalam cinema?
Yes, there’s a void. I was inspired to become an actor by watching Jagathy Sreekumar’s plays. He was five or six years senior to me. He performed plays in our school. The laughter, the uproar, the applause from the audience at that time... I remember thinking, ‘I want to be like this.’ I wanted to receive the same applause and recognition. He was the first spark in my life that directed me towards the path of becoming an actor. We acted together in so many movies. But now… illness can happen to anyone…
WWhat’s the role of improvisation, especially for actors like you?
A director should also know how to act. Director Tarun Moorthy is someone who learnt kathakali for 16 years. He acted for us with great ease. He knows our strengths and can suggest if we’d do it a bit differently. Priyan (Priyadarshan) too has that quality. When we were shooting for Vellanakalude Naadu, he wanted Pappu to say ‘Thamarassery Churam’ in a different way. He could do so after Priyan showed it to him. Priyan has a knack for comedy and knows just how it’ll pan out.
Have you ever felt the everlasting feel of Malayalam movies of the 1990s has now been lost?
No. Such movies are there even now. Certain dialogues in Bangalore Days are still used by trolls. These become popular because of Instagram and other social media platforms.
How did you enter movie production?
During Hello My Dear Wrong Number, Priyan said we should produce a movie together and asked me to coordinate. That’s how Priyan, Mohanlal, Srinivasan and I started that film. None of us took any remuneration. Everyone contributed Rs 25,000 from their own pockets. Although it was a very entertaining film, financially, it was a loss. Later, when satellite channels bought the rights, we got some money back. After that, I produced Vellanakalude Naadu. Then other films like Aye Auto and Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu came up.
We have heard that food is good in your production set, that you show no difference between actors and production staff...
In the initial days, I have seen the lead actor getting rich food and others being given packets of curd rice or lemon rice. I decided that when I become a producer, I will give everyone the same food. It may cost me Rs 10 lakh more but everyone will be happy. As a beginner, I couldn’t pay restaurant bills when I went out with friends. Once I established myself in cinema, I made it a point to pay the bill when someone eats with me, no matter who’s with me. It’s a kind of revenge (smiles).
It seems you are a foodie...
I love food. And wherever I go, I find the best food and have it.
Do you like to cook as well?
Yes, I like to cook too. Mohanlal too is a great cook. Earlier, during shoots at some locations, there were facilities for cooking. Even now, he offers to cook special things for me. He is a food lover and often advises chefs to try this and that. Even when he has to be body conscious, if there is food before him, he eats well. Mammootty is different. He is careful about what he eats.
It’s said there’s a Thiruvananthapuram lobby in Malayalam cinema...
Such a lobby never existed. I’ll give two examples. In Kireedam, Thilakan chettan is the right cast as Sethumadhavan’s father. There’s no replacement for him. Similarly, Nedumudi Venu is the right choice for Thampuran in His Highness Abdulla. Mohanlal and I have acted together in around 58 movies. I share a very close relation with him, yet it’s after a decade that we are acting together (in Thudarum). There’s no such lobby. There are a few who say there are casteist issues in cinema. Here, it’s important to remember that it’s M T Vasudevan Nair who brought in Mammootty, and Fazil who introduced Mohanlal. So, that argument too doesn’t stand. If you have talent, you’ll survive.
You were the one to discover Prithviraj...
It was a coincidence. I had gone for a haircut, where I happened to see a handsome boy. He told me he was Sukumaran’s son. The same day, Ranjith (filmmaker) called me, saying he was looking for a handsome boy for his latest movie. I mentioned this boy. Ranjith later called to thank me, saying he had found his hero for his movie Nandanam.
Similarly, you played a key role in actor Rahman’s entry...
For the film Koodevide, all of us, including Padmarajan and a boy and his brother, travelled together by train to Coimbatore. Later, Padmarajan gave me the script to read. He told me the boy travelling with us is playing a key role. On reading the script, I told Padmarajan: ‘The script is outstanding, but that boy is a miscast.’ He got upset. I thought I too may have lost my role (smiles). The next day, he came with a few photographs and said he had identified a boy. When the boy arrived, Padmarajan asked me: ‘How’s this boy?’ I said he was apt. That’s how Rahman became part of Koodevide.
Reports say that you are planning a new Mohanlal film, to be directed by Krishand...
Yes. Krishand is someone with new thoughts and a different wavelength. He has already narrated the story to Mohanlal. The release date has not been finalised. Nowadays, we first need to ensure that the script is fully developed. Only then will the film succeed.
Your production Chotta Mumbai is all set for re-release. When can we expect it?
It was a good action-comedy film that came out in 2007. Mohanlal did a great job. We plan to re-release it soon, using the latest technologies like Dolby and 4K. It will be a good theatre experience. I have great expectations for the film. Re-releases gain traction, because people enjoy watching good films again and again.
Have you ever thought of trying a hand at direction?
That’s for intelligent people (smiles). I’m not interested. For directors, patience is essential. Lack of patience is my minus point. I’m someone who rushes into things.
Is there any director who you wish to work with?
I wish to work in a Steven Spielberg movie. But for that, he too should feel the same (laughs)! No such wishes at all. I’d act in anyone’s movie.
You have had a long career. Looking back, what are your feelings?
I struggled a lot, but was able to reach where I wanted to. I never wanted to be a superstar. I was always keen on being a character actor. I’m lucky that I could complete 50 years in this field. I was able to act in many films, travel to many locations, and visit many countries. I’m grateful to everyone who supported me.
There are many youngsters who dream of cinema. What do you have to tell them?
You should fight. If you have ambition, you should be ready to struggle... make every effort to achieve it