A glance at Dharmajan Bolgatty’s Facebook page will reveal the kind of love and support the dimunutive comedian is receiving from Malayalis. The kind of support that only the superstars get to relish. Much of the popularity for him has to be because of thte character of a servant in the laugh riot TV show Badai Bungalow but these days, he is busier than ever in Mollywood. His last outing on the big screen was in the mega hit Kattapanayile Ritwik Roshan. Dharmajan, who started his cinema career through Dileep starrer Paappi Appacha in 2010, has his hands full. Talking to us during a break between shots, Dharmajan obliged for a quick interview.
“I am currently on the location of Hello Dubai Karan. Chunkzz by Omar is another project that I am part of. I will also act in Sunday Holiday. Since I am caught up with three projects at the same time I had to let go of a Mammookka production. I backed out today.”
It has been a while since set foot on the sets of Badai Bungalow, he informs. “I have signed for projects without even a day’s break so I do not get a chance to go to Badai Bungalow. I miss them too, they are like family. But then, like everything, after a while, it is time for a small change, that’s how life is.” On his popularity surge after starring in Kattapanayile Ritwik Roshan, he says, “Although my big screen debut was in 2010, I never expected this kind of popularity.”
Does he stick to comic roles on big screen? “Nothing like that. Too much planning has not gone into role selection; I just decide to do the role if it’s good. But now I have become more careful in selecting roles. I check out who the director is or who the actors are before I sign. Asif Ali plays the lead in Sunday Holiday and a lot of my close friends are a part of Hello Dubai Karan. Chunkzz is directed by Omar who gave us Happy Wedding and it has a handful of really good producers as well. My next one will have Chackochan in the lead.”
Unlike the non-serious Dharmajan we are used to watching on screen, he sounded a bit reserved and matter of fact. “If we look at the movies that I couldn’t do, the number is more than the ones that I could be a part of. There are huge projects that slipped from my hands. But those were the days when mimicry was in the forefront, we had our hands tied with stage shows. So I did not want to trouble the stage show organisers and opted to stay out of those movies. But then everyone started advising me to take up more movies and reduce stage shows. So slowly I cut down on stage shows. But surely I did not expect such a rush in my life. I hardly even get time for myself and family. I don’t have even a single day to spare till June.” All the same, on April 23, he will be travelling to the US to take part in a stage show which will have Dileep, Kavya, Namita Pramod, Pisharody and many others.”
On his chemistry with Pisharody on and off the screen, he has this to say: “With everything I have signed up for, all the skit planning for the upcoming stage show is happening over phone with him.” So, who comes with all the smart one-liners? “Remember the conversation with Donald Trump? That was his idea. We both have a flair for writing, and we both have decided that we will do only what we are capable of pulling off. There is a lot of trial and error that happens before finalising something. There is a lot of planning that goes in. I have known him for some 20 years now, our families are also really close. Till date, we have never had an ego clash. We complement each other well; I can never do what he does and he cannot do what I can and that is how we roll.”
