I have a no-kissing, no-intimacy rule I strictly follow in my films: Unni Mukundan

Unni Mukundan who was recently seen in one of India's most violent movies 'Marco' is all set to play a gynecologist in his latest film 'Get Set Baby', which is gearing up for release on February 21. The movie directed by Vinay Govind will also feature Nikhila Vimal in the lead. Unni who has been single-handedly playing the lead characters without a heroine by his side for the past seven years, said he found it both interesting and challenging to play a romantic hero alongside Nikhila Vimal.

"In the past seven years, if you have noticed, I have not played a romantic hero in my films, from 'Meppadiyan' till 'Marco'. So, I found it quite challenging. I think you could call it my limitation as an actor," he said. He added that he is also very particular about the intimate scenes in his movies. "I have a no-kissing, no-intimate scene rule that I follow in all my films. I want my movies to be appealing to all kinds of audiences," he said.

Unni, however, said he has felt pressured to include intimate moments in his films. "Some of the directors or people around me share examples of colleagues or counterparts who have done similar roles. I tell them there are many ways to show intimacy between couples and kissing need not be the only option. It's the same policy you follow in action shots. Though you appear to be hitting the person, you never touch his face or body. You can use the same logic in romantic films," he said. "Having said that, I am not against my colleagues doing intimate scenes in their movies. It's just that I have created a bubble, hoping to make all my films watchable for the family audience," he said.

'I wanted to do five good family movies under my banner'

The actor who first made a breakthrough in movies with 'Mallu Singh', admitted he had a lean period after 2014, when he was relegated to side roles or playing villains. "I decided to set up my own production company in 2018, because I wanted to be part of good films. When I floated Unni Mukundan Films, my sole aim was to do five good family dramas and I have achieved that. I have invested in films that resonated with my raw emotion," he said.

"My first film 'Meppadiyan' told the story of a young man who is in his 30s, trying to settle in life. I made 'Shafeekinte Santhosham' because there is at least one person in every family who has travelled to a Gulf country in search of a job. When I produced 'Malikappuram', I wanted to connect with the 45+ audience, especially since there were very few films that catered to such an audience. 'Malikappuram' also aligned with my spiritual sensibilities. I did 'Jai Ganesh' because I wanted to address inclusivity. This appealed to the children. My latest film 'Get Set Baby' will cater to my new 'Marco' audience who are young, and also to married couples," he said.

The film 'Get Set Baby', according to the actor, discusses the challenges and the stress faced by married couples when they fail to conceive.