I consider myself half-Gujarati and would love to do a Gujarati film: Unni Mukundan

Unni Mukundan, whose Malayalam action film Marco hit the headlines for the right reasons recently and did well at the box office, shares “a very special connection with Ahmedabad.” The actor, who has also done Tamil and Telugu films, was in town recently to promote the film’s Hindi version. He tells us, “I was born and brought up in Ahmedabad and spent 23 years of my life here. I studied at Pragati School and HA College of Commerce. Kankaria Lake was one of my favourite hangout zones and I have some fond memories of spending time in areas like Lal Darwaja and Maninagar. I worked as a call centre employee and the city has given me a lot. Though I am a Malayali, I consider myself half-Gujarati.”

He adds, “I shifted to Kerala around 2009. I had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi once and told him, ‘You were my Chief Minister earlier and now, you are my Prime Minister (laughs)!’ He said that he was proud to see a Gujarati boy doing well in Malayalam films. I love Gujarati food, especially undhiyu, khaman-dhokla and bhakri. I am also fond of Gujarati thali. People in Gujarat are sweet, and I love the language too. If I am offered a good Gujarati film, I would love to do it because I can speak fluent Gujarati.”

‘All regional industries are making some very good films’

Talking about his latest project, Unni, who won a National Award (as a producer) for the Malayalam film Meppadiyan (2022), shares, “I have done an action film after six years and Marco is one of the most violent films in the history of Malayalam cinema. We worked extremely hard for this project and I am glad that the audiences liked the film. I enjoy the process of filmmaking and I would love to direct a film in future.”

He adds, “Malayalam cinema has built a great reputation over the years and as a representative of the industry, it’s my responsibility to ensure that I make good films. We can’t be resting on our laurels and today, with the audience having so many choices, you need to come up with good projects regularly. Now, all regional industries are making some very good films and I am glad that they are doing well too. Due to OTT, regional cinema has wider reach now and these films are getting the kind of attention that they deserve.”