What has Narain got to do with 'Odiyan'?

Actor Narain marks his presence on the the silver screen at fixed intervals and is applauded for his work. His migration to Kollywood has not lessened Malayalis affection for him a wee bit. After his usual break, Narain is back in a significant character role in the Mohanlal movie 'Odiyan'. Narain, while expressing happiness for his role in this movie, however, wished he had more scenes to perform. Speaking to Manorama Online, he shares his experience about being a part of 'Odiyan':

In guest role

It was the director Sreekumar Menon who invited me. He explained my character in detail. I was so much tempted to be a part of this project as and when I learned about the story and its background. The character named Prakasan that I am doing is a guest role and is pivotal in the movie. I can’t discuss any further about this role before the release of the movie.

Second movie with Lal

'Odiya'n gave me a lot of memories to cherish for a lifetime. After the shoot I wished I had more scenes to do! My scenes were shot in Palakkad. I had combination scenes with Mohanlal, Manju Warrier and Prakash Raj. After the movie 'Grandmaster', 'Odiyan' gave me the opportunity to work with Mohanlal once more. To work with him is amazing of course. The way he transforms into a character in between the action and cut and the way he mingles friendly with all of us is just wonderful.

This is for the first time I am working with Manju Warrier and Prakash Raj. There is a beautiful scene with Manju. She is someone whom I admire a lot.

Odiyan's magic

A guest role do not usually make us aware of the magnitude of the film. Though I was there only for a few scenes, the 'Odiyan' experience was way different due to the strong script which is the back bone of the movie. There are movies which pull the masses into the theatre but there is no guarantee that they possess any artistic quality. 'Odiyan' in that sense is both a mass movie and a class movie which will stand the test of time as it gains from a magical approach to a mesmerising script! The cinematography by Shaji Kumar has added charm to it. Harikrishnan's powerful script and Peter Hein's fight choreography have gelled completely with excellent direction.

I plan to see 'Odiya'n with my family in Chennai on its release date. I feel happy seeing news on 'Odiyan' in Tamil newspapers too. Posters are also stuck everywhere. It is exciting to see that in Tamil Nadu people are waiting for its release just like they await a Rajinikanth movie. It seems they know about the movie. People outside Kerala are looking forward for Malayalam movies these days. My friends in Chennai who do not know Malayalam have watched all the recent Malayalam movies. This was not the situation a decade ago. The change is happening may be only in cities, but it is significant.

Intervals in Mollywood

My intervals from the Malayalam film industry are not preplanned. Whenever I decide to focus on Malayalam movies rather than the Tamil ones, some or the other Tamil offers pop up and they take me back there. I play central role in Tamil movies and hence the responsibility is high. I commit for two months and work extends to 6 or even 8 months. Thus I lose many Malayalam offers.

Year ahead

I hope there are a few projects in Malayalam in the coming year. The discussions are progressing and projects will be finalised in a few months. Right now I am part of two movies in Tamil and one is by the director Suseendran. It is always a dream to act in Malayalam cinema. I am very careful in choosing offers from Malayalam, however I also do movies in the name of friendship.

Family affairs

I am settled in Chennai along with my family. Wife Manju and daughter Thanmaya have adapted to this city well. My daughter is in class 4 and she is enthusiastic about dance and music. Our world revolves around her. We visit our native place during her holidays. My parents are at Thrissur and Manju’s parents in Kozhikode. I am away from home only for two or three months for shoot. So I can see my daughter growing up and can be a part in her nurturing too.