Mammootty’s skill pushed me as an actor: Manohar Pandey

Hindi actor Manohar Pandey was pleasantly surprised by the respect he got from the team of Mammootty film Kannur Squad, when he joined the shoot. He plays a small-time goon in UP, who has the information that will help in the crime investigation of a Kerala Police squad, led by Mammootty. “I really liked the role; I have a good action sequence as well, which I enjoyed,” says Manohar, who has acted in Adipurush and Gangubai Kathiawadi.

“Also importantly, I felt I was amazed by the warmth and respect that I got as an actor. That helped me get straight into just working on the character, I did not have to struggle, as a new person, with first trying to earn people’s respect.” Manohar also says that he enjoyed the fact that he could communicate about and discuss his character on the shoot.

The film, directed by Roby Varghese Raj and written by Rony David and Muhammed Shafi, also features Nithin Thomas and Ankith Madhav.

Catching up on Malayalam content
When I got the part, I watched some Malayalam films recommended by my friends and also, some films with Mammootty. Now, while I don’t understand the language, I am a fan of Malayalam music. I also feel there is so much to learn as an actor in some Fahadh Faasil films that I’ve watched. I don’t remember the names, but I liked Trance.

Working with Mammootty
We had some combination scenes, so we would sit together and talk, sometimes he would be by himself. He is a legend and I was observing him. I noticed that when he was acting, he would try something new and interesting to bring nuances to his character, so I felt that I needed to push myself as well, because I had to ‘react well’.

I was very pleased that the auditions in Mumbai were done by director Roby Varghese Raj, rather than a casting director. That helped build a rapport and I was able to deliver exactly what he wanted. And after the audition, I felt that it had gone well.