Anoop Mohandas now has a head full of hair and a beard, almost looking like his old self after a major makeover. He had only a small part to play in Kammattipadam but he is there throughout the film, growing up with the other characters from the little boys they all were to the middle-aged men they turned into. In Anoop’s case, the character starts with a clean shaven head and then grows up to be a man with really long hair, tied up into a high knot.
So obviously he had to shoot his last scenes first. Not that he had a key role to play. He was Anto, one among the Krishnan-Ganga gang of friends played by Dulquer and Vinayakan. But then Anoop would be noticed by those who follow his music.
He is the lead vocalist for the folk electronic band ‘Vidwan’, he is a part of the male ensemble ‘Asima’ and as he says in all his interviews, he would first want to mention he is a student of Abhradita Banerjee. “My teacher’s name should come first. I have been with her for eight years now, learning Hindustani,” says the young man who has taken an active interest in music as well as acting.
Still from Kammattipadam He was seen in Rajeev Ravi’s previous work Njan Steve Lopez as Pikkoo, the guy who would sit with a newspaper in the middle as hero Farhaan Faasil and heroine Ahana sit on a couch alive to their newfound love. Anoop and his mate Ben Sam Jones had composed the title song of the film back then —Oorake Kalapila, which went viral. Now again, he is the voice behind Kammattipadam’s Para para song that’s gone viral even before the movie had released.
“It’s mostly in chorus so I can’t take credit but a lot of people came and appreciated me for the song.” He has also rendered the song Chingamasathile for Kammattipadam, which unfortunately didn’t make it to the film. “I had gone to the dubbing studio to record the bits of sounds I make in the film, lines like Adiyeda,” he says, laughing. That’s when John P. Varkey who composed two songs called him to sing both of these. Musician K and actor Vinayakan have also composed for the film.
Anoop has also been active in theatre, with plays like Palangal and Jaiva. He was earlier seen in movies like Masala Republic and Appavum Veenjum. As of now he is back to concentrating on his music, with Vidwan to make new songs after their recent performances in Bengaluru, and also composing for a short film.
