Saiju Kurup is one of those actors who do a range of roles and never get typecast. These may be supportive in nature but pivotal too in their own way. From 2005 till date, his career graph shows a slow but steady growth. Whether it be the ‘seriously funny’ gunda Arakkal Abu or the simple and earthy Ramesh which is his latest character in the newly released Careful, the preparation as well as execution shows ‘careful’ effort. Talking about his role in Careful, directed by V.K. Prakash, Saiju says, “I represent a simpleton through Ramesh, in this film.
“He has a wife and a child. Ramesh is not the only central character in the film, every character is important. The movie does not restrict itself to just one main protagonist.” Adventures of Omanakuttan, a film which has been the talking point in the last one week, has Saiju playing the role of Asif Ali’s friend and roommate. When quizzed about the misadventures the particular movie has been experiencing, Saiju says: “It is true that there were problems with the publicity aspect. Lot of people did not know about it. Another aspect is that a movie is a package and people tend to be judgemental about it even before they see it. When it comes to Adventures of Omanakuttan, there was very little idea about what genre it came under, although it was made clear that the movie would be like reading a comic and that it is a rom-com. Another issue was that the movie did not get any night shows, a timing preferred in cities. There were problems during the initial three days. But after that it has been getting screens, the collection has picked up.”
His 2015 release Aadu Oru Bheekara Jeevi Aanu has a cult following today and Aadu 2 is one of the most awaited remakes. “All the characters will be same. We are planning to commence the shooting in August.” It is hard to find Saiju repeating a character and somehow his character ends up becoming integral to the story. So is he selective about the roles he picks? “Yes, I am. Luckily, I do have the option to be selective now. Definitely, I will look into my character and the team and see if I fit in. I won’t take up a role if I am not comfortable with the team because it will affect the project.” In his next outing Pokkiri Simon, Saiju will be seen playing a Vijay fan, sharing screen with Sunny Wayne. Nandukalude Naatil Oridavela and Captain are his other upcoming projects.
