Sidharth Bharathan: I felt from the start that this was quite a cinematic experiment

Sidharth Bharathan played a nameless velakaaran in Rahul Sadasivan’s period horror thriller, Bramayugam. But the character, which is one of the three main roles in the film, sees an interesting evolution and one that crosses swords with a stalwart like Mammootty. The actor-director tells us about being amazed at Rahul’s script, getting into the groove with Mammooty and channelling some of his mother, KPAC Lalitha’s acting skills. Excerpts…

How did you feel when you first read the script of Bramayugam?
On a lighter note, I was quite jealous (laughs). Actually, to get such a script from a fellow filmmaker was inspiring and positive. It spurs a feeling of healthy competition. Also, I was impressed with how he managed to convey the pacing of the movie in the script.
The movie’s pacing was evident in the scripting; how it starts as a slow burner and progresses to a rousing finale. It was a gripping story. My character’s depth and evolution was interesting. Obviously, it wasn’t like anything I’d done so far. So I was gung ho about it from the start.

What was your first reaction when you learnt that the film would be in B&W?Like everyone else I felt that this would be quite a cinematic experiment. As a filmmaker, this was something I was interested in, so I was intrigued by the making and I would follow-up with the crew to see how the visuals were shaping up. Also, now I can say I have acted in B&W and colour films.

During the making, did you think the film would become such a big hit and so widely accepted?Not in my wildest dreams. We don’t shoot the scenes chronologically, of course, so we were not sure about each character’s arc, but Rahul had a good grip on the graph.

Did you have any nervousness about being cast opposite Mammootty?It was the first time that I was interacting with Mammukka in a professional space, so it was overwhelming initially, but we soon settled into a groove and it was a fantastic experience.
As a filmmaker, I feel nervousness is good when you come in for a role, because you are trying to create and imbibe the personality of your character. The aspect of working onscreen with a veteran is only a secondary issue. But in a couple of days, we settled into a groove.
As a director too, I have experienced that it takes a couple of days to get into sync with your cameraman and actors.
There was the warmth of knowing Mammukka as a compatriot of my parents (later director Bharathan and KPAC Lalitha), but this association did not come into the onscreen space. While shooting, to me he was a co-actor whose support was needed to aid my performance. There was the comfort of working with a senior, whose inputs are helpful for scenes. I really enjoyed working with him.

Have you picked up tips from your mother’s work?Definitely. I think at least subconsciously I would have tried her manner of easily getting into the skin of a character.


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