'Mahaveeryar' presents a serious issue women are facing today: Nivin

Nivin Pauly's rise to stardom after 'Thattathinu Marayathu' was steady and phenomenal. Films like '1983', 'Om Shanti Oshana' and 'Neram' cemented his place in Mollywood as one of the most bankable actors of his generation. His consistent hits with films like 'Bangalore Days' and 'Jacobinte Swarga Rajyam' made him a director's favourite. Over the years, the star actor began slowly but consciously shedding the 'boy-next-door' image that the audience loved and started experimenting with his newer roles. He soon became 'Kayamkulam Kochunni' in the epic drama and 'Akbar' in Moothon, all of them which were turning points in his career.

His latest 'Mahaveeryar', directed by Abrid Shine, in which he plays a sage is hitting theatres on July 21. The actor is excited about the role and says he is very happy to be collaborating with Abrid Shine for the third time. According to the actor, 'Mahaveeryar's is unique in many ways as it is a mix of genres. The actor reveals that the film also discusses a very pertinent social issue related to women.

Ask him what excited him about the role, he says he was drawn to the script because it dared to be commercial being artistic. “The director could have stuck to a low-key narration of the movie because the story is like that. However, he was brave enough to explore various facets of the story and make it a unique script,” says Nivin.

So, ask the actor, if he has a certain set of criteria before doing a film, the reply is he would like to be seen in films that audience of every age would love to see. “Either a film should be critically-acclaimed or it should be commercial. I am fond of doing such films only,” he says.

So, will we be seeing him do films like 'Premam' or '1983' any time soon. “Not really. I loved doing such roles. It brought me a lot of success. But over the years, as I grew older, I realised that I needed to experiment with my roles. I could not forever be the boy-next-door. Getting such content is easy and is more bankable. But, as an actor, I decided it was time I evolved playing various characters,” he says.

Ask him whether that has affected his career graph, he is quick to respond. “Life is all about failure and success. Maturity is in understanding that you may face both failures and success when you try different things. My perspective about my career has changed that way,” he adds.

He also has an answer to the trolls body shaming him about his weight. “I don't believe many of the comments are meant out of hate towards me. Most of my audience are concerned about my weight gain. I know this and I am working towards reducing my weight. I am not the kind of actor who works out during shoots. I need to dedicate some time to getting back in shape, which I intend to do in the coming months,” he added.