Proving his mettle

Malayalam cinema has witnessed many skilled actors, who were confined to negative characters, turning to character and comedy roles and putting up excellent performances. The latest addition on that list is Assim Jamal, UAE-based actor, who has been widely appreciated by viewers as well as critics as Sathyan in Allu Ramendran

Assim’s depiction of as the simpleton Sathyan, who runs a tyre puncture shop, has been dubbed as his career-best performance by all. “I’m really happy. Doing Sathyan initially made me really nervous. The character came to me unexpectedly and I told the team not to expect a lot from me as I wasn’t sure of pulling off the character well.“Producer Ashiq Usman called me after watching the movie and said that no one else could’ve done Sathyan better.Director Bilahari and Ashiq have become my fans. What more can I ask for?” says an elated Assim over phone from Dubai.”

Assim affirms it was never easy to get into the skin of the character. It was not the type of character we used to see him play. “The character has its presence throughout the movie. So, I had to carry the body language throughout. Ashiq said to me in the beginning that if I perform well, it will benefit my whole career. A downfall in my performance may adversely affect the movie and my career. There were times when I told Ashiq to give the role to some other artiste. However, he was always confident that I could pull it off. Maybe that worked out.”

After narrating the character to Assim, director Bilahari asked him to observe tyre shop owners so that he could study from their mannerisms. However, the plan didn’t work out and he was completely blank at the start of shooting. “Bilahari gave me a brief idea about the character. The tyre shop is his world and the only one he talks to is Ramendran. The first shot of mine was at a temple where I had to run behind Chackochan. When Bilahari came to me, I told him that Sathyan would be running with his slippers in hand. Bilahari hugged me hearing that. I had caught hold of the character. Many people from the industry have appreciated my performance,” he says.   

He asserts Kunchacko Boban was a great support for his performance. “I was not nervous while acting with him. All actors I’ve worked with have been friendly, but tension creeps into me automatically during shooting. Chackochan was like a close friend, That really helped my performance.” Assim loves to play comedy and emotional characters. He says the recent character roles have helped him in portraying Sathyan well. “Recently, I’ve intentionally chosen such roles to prove my mettle. Maybe my appearance suits negative roles more. I believe no one will doubt my ability now,” he quips.

He will be next seen as Munir Koduvally in Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu. “Munir is a naive person from Malabar. He works in the UAE with Kalidas’s character. Though the screen time is less, I’m sure Munir will be loved by the audience.  There are also some projects under discussion, which I’ll reveal once I join the shooting. I’ve been dropped out of many projects in the final stages. So, I am certain of my role only when the shooting commences. For many, I’m still a standby actor,” he signs off.