I was a katta fan once, so I know their psychology well

For a long time, he was Kurudi to many Malayalis.
Not that the industry has forgotten his memorable debut character yet, but Sunny Wayne isn’t just ‘that corkscrew curls actor with a deep breezy voice,’ anymore. Now, his name is associated with experimental, far-out projects which also boast of some fetching plots, like his next film Pokkiri Simon, which is about a die-hard fan of Tamil actor Vijay.The actor tells us about why fans behave the way they do, his upcoming films and learning to dance!
So, Pokkiri Simon is a die-hard Vijay fan from Thiruvananthapuram. What’s more to him?
He is a youngster from the capital, who is done with graduation and is trying out PSC tests and the like to land a job. He is also someone who can prioritise his fandom in the unlikeliest of places, in one of the scenes, he gets the news about a Vijay film’s release during a ‘pennukaanal’ situation. He has some friends in the Chenkalchoola region where the fan club is located, with whom he hangs out and watches movies. Moreover, he is a fun guy who has a poignant life tale that every fan should check out.
You are also dancing, for the first time, in this film.
I was told right at the beginning of the project that there would be a bit of dancing for this film, in addition to stunts, and that I can’t escape it. I’m no natural dancer, and I have never done it in any movie before. My experience with dancing is limited to doing a few easy moves with friends at college, for fun. But I believe it’s important to attempt new skills as an artiste, so I was open to it. Then again, it’s not Vijay who is dancing, but his fan, who is a commoner, so I request everyone not to expect ‘that’ level of dancing.
Someone at the set used to help me with a few moves on and off, which I tried out and gave my best to showcase it well. I am a lot more confident now, and assure you that in the next film, I would be comparatively better at it! (laughs).
What’s the psychology of these die-hard fans, who sometimes don’t hesitate to engage in duels with others, or do paalabhishekam for their idol?
Before I came to films, I too was a katta fan of many actors — just that I wasn’t in any fans associations. I used to go for 5 am shows too and believe that only a real fan has what it takes to do that, rather than wait for the following days or shows. For these fans, the star is a larger-than-life figure, conjured up in their minds combining the elements of his onscreen character and off screen persona. For instance, look how Vijay treats his fans well, despite being in such a stature of stardom. I have heard that he even keeps aside days specially for fans to click photos with him!
Moreover, the fans get to express their love for the stars rarely, considering that they do only a few projects a year. So, the release of a film would be a rare occasion that comes their way and they just go all out to give him a grand welcome.
It’s also considered a nuisance by many, when they make too much noise with chendamelam, shout out in theatres or engage in duels for silly differences…
Yes, many of the things they do as fans would come across to be puerile for the rest of the world. At the same time, we should think about similar scenarios.
What happens when the various kinds of protests or processions happen in our State? Aren’t they too creating a similar effect? Regardless of whether there are fans celebrating or not, such situations can arise. In that case, why stop the fans from doing their little paalabhishekams and the like, which are, after all, expressions of love? And as for the online exchanges, it’s common whenever there is a difference of opinion and is not restricted to fandom.
In Kerala too, the sensibilities of people have changed. Even the industry is not the same as it was five years ago. People love to have fun a lot more and so, the Tamil film and fan culture has influenced us too. It’s a way to express love for them, and if at all we try to stop them, they will do it one way or the other.
Tell us about your preparations for your character Kesavan in Kayamkulam Kochunni, who is a Kalaripayattu expert.
For the past one and a half weeks, I have been at a kalari in Thrissur, preparing for this role. I used to visit this centre even when I was shooting for Ann Maria Kalippilaanu, and was charmed by kalaripayattu’s unique approach to healing. It’s not just the usual uzhichil and pizhichil that it has, but also a lot of workouts that bring out any pain that you have, and then heal it completely.
For Kesavan’s role, learning the payattu isn’t simple at all, many acquire expertise in it through years of practice and dedication to be flexible. In the limited time I have, I am doing what I can. I have started learning the basic moves. I guess there are some scenes too in which I will have to do the payattu.
I go to the kalari as early as 6.30 am. There’s a little pool here in which I swim around for a while and then, the training starts. It goes on till about 11 am and I am having fun doing it.
Besides being a kalari expert, Kesavan is a police officer who in on the trail of Kochunni. I took up this role understanding how much the character is crucial to the story, and also as there are those like Rosshan, Bobby and Sanjay behind the project.
Your character Ashley in Annayum Rasoolum is one of the most popular in your career, and you will be working with Fahadh Faasil yet again in Aanenkilum Allenkilum…
Annayum Rasoolum was a serious romantic movie, and that’s where I met Fahadh Faasil for the first time. Just when both our characters met in the movie is how we too got introduced to each other! I guess director Rajeev Ravi felt it was important that such an equation plays out well, for which we too remained strangers first, and it worked!
Aanekilum… is more of a romantic fun ride, an exact opposite to Anna... We are starting the shoot in October.
And you tried dubbing too, in Ezra.
When director Jay asked whether I can do it for Sujith Sureshan’s character, I was excited. Till then, I had dubbed only for myself. During the process, it actually got me thinking about the dubbing artistes and their talent. You have to totally become someone else through your voice and moreover, your voice acting should suit them to a T. To get the slang, the accent and the feel right isn’t easy and it took me around three days to complete it.
The challenging part was that initially, I wasn’t feeling at all that my voice acting is matching Sujith, onscreen. So, I kept on trying till both the director and I were convinced about it.