Tharikidaaa… small children would say, just the way its host Sabumon used to say it. One of the first television shows in Malayalam which used a hidden camera, provoking people to react without their knowledge. Years after the show went off the air, the anchor is still known as Tharikida Sabu. Sabu is in Munnar today, waiting for the release of his film — Punyalan Agarbattis.
“This is my third movie,” says Sabumon. “I had acted with Prithviraj in his first movie Nakshathra Kannulla Rajakumaran Avan-undoru Rajakumari and also did a role in his Katha.” After his Tharikida days, Sabu practised law for a few years and later worked in Saudi Arabia before coming back to start a production company with his friend Sharaf. “That is called SAB Productions. We produced a new generation series called Chumma for Amritha TV.” Sabu’s first love has always been the visual media. Even when he practised law, he continued to be in the field as a producer or actor.
“The interest began in my school days when I used to act on stage and later went on to join theatre groups. I was a Kala Prathibha runner up at the State youth festival in 1999 along with violinist Balabhaskar.” In those days Sabu used to do mono-act shows. Producer Satheesh Kumar spotted him in one such show and invited him to host Tharikida. Years later Satheesh called Sabu to be the judge for a segment on a TV show called Midukki. Seeing him on the show, director Ranjith Sankar called him.
“We had earlier judged a show together and he remembered that when he saw me on the show. He asked me if I could play a character in his film and I was only too happy to.” He plays an anti-hero character called ‘Idivettu Sabu’ in the movie. “The hero (Jayasurya) begins an Agarbatti factory, and has issues with a local political party. I play the villain’s goon.”
Sabu who has produced several TV shows like Tech Mantra for Amritha TV and Candid Camera for Kappa TV, is now busy planning another TV series for Asianet.
