Roshan Mathew: We are not superstars. The world doesn't come to a halt when a film of ours hits theatres

Roshan Mathew in Maharani, a Malayalam comedy directed by G Marthandan. (Screen grab/YouTube/Reach Music)

Even as his Indo-Sri Lankan drama Paradise is gathering accolades on the global film festival circuit, actor Roshan Mathew’s newest film, a Malayalam comedy, has just arrived in cinemas. Directed by G Marthandan, Maharani is about two brothers' - played by 31-year-old Mathew and co-actor Shine Tom Chacko - attempts to get married. This is one of a slew of projects Mathew has been looking forward to.

Speaking on the phone from Kerala, the Darlings and Aanandam actor spoke about his journey from theatre to cinema and his greatest teachers. Excerpts:

You did a lot of theatre before you got into movie roles. Do you remember your first movie audition?

The first audition I landed was for a Hindi film for a big production house. Around that time, I was doing some theatre in Mumbai and I decided to start trying out for movies. I didn't crack that audition and I also consciously decided to do smaller things first. I did a couple of web series, including something for what was SonyLIV’s YouTube channel. Prosit Roy, who was later part of Paatal Lok, was making a small web series called Tan Lines, and that was actually the first big audition I got. That was also one of the first projects where I worked for a considerable amount of time in front of the camera, and I really liked it too.

Would you say the 2016 Malayalam film Aanandam was your breakout role?

Definitely. It was a turning point for somebody who's come from my particular background – where I started doing theatre, really fell in love with acting and wanted to do more of it. I was on the audition circuit. Aanandam is the one release after which, for the first time, someone called me to offer me work. I still remember that phone call. They gave me a short narration on the phone and when I asked when should I come for the audition, they said you don’t have to – you just have to say yes or no. That's a big change for an actor. So yes, it was a huge turning point or a milestone.

Which was the film that actually got you excited about movie acting?

I was a student at Madras Christian College in Chennai, where I was also doing theatre, like tripping on doing as much theatre as possible, reading plays, etc. Then suddenly, as college always does, my world also widened with cinema from all around the world. There are people who have come in from everywhere and a lot of those people have had childhoods very different from mine. Their influences, the pictures they've watched, the songs they listen to, it was all very different. We had a lot of movies to catch up on. During that time, I stopped following Malayalam cinema. I was also away from Kerala and at that point films were not that easily accessible once they left the cinema. Then I went home for holidays and my mum and dad, who also really enjoy watching films, had this DVD collection among which was Manjadikuru (2012). I watched it, loved it and from there I was obsessed with working with Anjali Menon. I finally got that chance with Koode (2018).

Is there any role or film of yours that you feel was undervalued?

There have been films which I felt maybe deserved a little more attention. I would have loved it if more people saw Oru Thekkan Thallu Case, a movie that was released last year. I was very excited about it but I felt like people's excitement for it didn't match mine. It didn't reach the right audience. I don't think a lot of people watched Choked either. On the other hand, there are pleasant surprises. One is Kappela, a film the audiences just embraced. Kappela released just as COVID-19 hit and the film had to be pulled from the cinemas just as people were beginning to say good things about it. People still talk to me about it outside of Kerala. It's amazing how that film has organically managed to get everywhere with a relatively new cast and crew. We are not superstars. The world doesn't come to a halt when a film of ours hits theatres.

You have worked across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam industries. Do you have a preference for one or the other?

Each project is very different but essentially the job is the same. The scale, number of people in the crew, the technical setup, and the work environment is obviously different from each other. I really enjoy the ride, but I've always been a jumper. I don't like hanging around in one place doing similar things. So, the moment I feel that familiarity, one part of my brain gets ready to jump. Then I go and do something else but I always come back to a Malayalam movie.

Currently I'm doing two projects. One is in Hindi (Ulajh) and one's in Tamil. Both of these are fairly big projects. I think this is the longest period that I am not shooting something in Malayalam actually and I am really looking forward to the Malayalam project because I know it's going to feel very fresh all over again.

Maharani is a Malayalam film which has just been released. I also have a series called Poacher, by Richie Mehta, getting ready for a streaming platform release. There are a couple of other Malayalam films too.

And lastly, are still involved with theatre?

I am constantly involved in it with the mind. Because I started in theatre, I will always miss it when I'm not doing it. I have also accepted that I'm going to have to make peace with missing it as long as I am doing film projects, because theatre is a longer commitment actually. You have to be available for it physically and have to give it that much time. Though I haven't been able to do as much theatre as I would like to, there is a small group of friends in Kochi who have a very shared passion for theatre. We keep doing little things here and there, mostly small pieces.