For Biju Menon, it is a time to cherish as the two films — Lakshyam and Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu — in which he essayed the central characters, have reached the screens within two weeks, and are running to packed houses. It is his first back-to-back release after switching to protagonist roles.
Still from Lakshyam
Majority of Biju’s films in the last three years were humour-centric. A thriller, Lakshyam has broken the chain. About his role in Lakshyam, Biju says, “I cannot say that I am the lead actor in the film. I and Indran (Indrajith) have equal importance. The movie depicts the journey of two handcuffed people through a forest.”
Biju has earlier stated that he chose movies with subjects that can attract audiences to the cinemas in order to ensure revenue for the producers. That was why he continuously did comedy movies. What prompted the actor to try a different genre? “Of course, the script is the key element that attracted me. We cannot do just one type of movies always. When I heard this film’s screenplay, I felt that this movie offered good space for performance. More than that, this is a screenplay written by Jeethu Joseph,” he says.
The Lakshyam actor adds, “I think an actor should portray all kinds of emotions in films. There is no point in performing in a film with a weak subject. And classification based on genres is also pointless. A movie should, after all, be able to entertain,” says the actor, who met with an accident during the shoot of Lakshyam. “We had to run and jump in handcuffs through the forests which was a big strain for everyone in the crew. While shooting one such sequence, I fell down and sprained my wrist. Owing to that, I could not wear the handcuffs and the shoot had to be halted for around two weeks.”
Still from Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu.
So can an actor take such a big break for personal needs? “Not at all. Each film is being produced based on the dates of actors. So we cannot take a break amid the production of a movie as it will affect the work of the film, which has already got a release date. Not just lead actor, every actor is crucial in a movie,” he comments.
In Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu, Biju acts as the patron of a local sports and arts club. “This is a film which conveys a powerful message. Everyone — from kids to adults — are highly pressured and are missing some good moments in life as they always run behind a particular goal. When parents compel their child to pursue a particular career, the child runs to achieve the goal of their parents. I feel children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood. These factors in the film attracted me,” he says.
In his career, Biju has donned the khakhi for most of his movies. Nowadays, he is not found in cop roles much. The actor says he is still getting police roles. “But I did not commit to those as I did not find it any special. Almost all the police roles that came to me were similar and I felt there is no point doing the same role over and over. It is then I got Anuragakarikkin Vellam which was entirely different,” says the actor, who is gearing up to join Sherlock Toms, directed by Shafi.
