While Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Sexy Durga is raking up attention and awards in the West, Arunsol is revelling in its success back home. With the movie, Arun’s life has been catapulted overnight from a photographer to that of an actor. He says, “Apart from the two lead characters, there are four other characters in the movie. I play an important role among the four.” The only previous connection Arun has had with the film industry before Sexy Durga was that of a co-producer for Ithihasa. So how did he get into acting? “After I watched Sanal ettan’s Ozhivu Divasathe Kali, I put up a video message on Facebook about how much I loved the film. The video clicked and the next thing I know was I got a call from Sanal ettan who asked me if I was interested to be a part of his upcoming project.”
“When he called me first, he gave me an idea about the film. He told me that it will be a crime-thriller and that it will be crude. He wanted to clarify if I was ok to handle such a role. So I discussed it with my wife, who supported me wholeheartedly. But once the movie got rolling, I found that the crude parts were not as much as I had in my mind. Sanal ettan brought out the best in me. In fact, he was making his actors react rather than act.” Speaking more about the film, he says, “The movie shows the horror that a man or a woman would associate with being out in the night, in the dark — something everyone must have experienced.” Arun is still awed at the kind of response the movie has received, especially the acceptance from the West. “Well, the movie has received yet another selection in another film festival in the US. The funny part is that although I knew it would be really good since it is directed by Sanal ettan, I never expected that it would get so many rave reviews and accolades.”
