When I choose a film, the reason isn’t always the same. Sometimes it’s the script, sometimes the filmmaker, sometimes the crew or the actors involved. It can be a combination of all those things.

With Ekadesham, there was a very personal reason as well. I had already worked with Don, and I’ve been a huge fan of his films, especially 1956, Central Travancore (2019) and Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam (2021). After working with him on Family, I would often tell him, “Don, if there’s anything you’re doing, please let me know. I’d always love to work with you.”

So when he came to me with the script of Ekadesham, I was genuinely surprised and excited because it felt very different from his previous films. It’s set in Kochi and belongs to the mumblecore genre, following a group of young people who are struggling to survive and navigate their relationships.

The fact that Don had planned it as a very small indie production also interested me. There was a minimal crew of just six people, with a handheld camera that he himself operated as the cinematographer. More than anything, it was the trust I have in Don and the script itself. I found the script really interesting because every time I read it, I discovered something new. It kept revealing new layers to the characters and the story.

I also enjoy discussing cinema with Don, so our collaboration is an open exchange of ideas.

I was really happy and excited when I heard the news. What makes it even more special is the way Ekadesham was made. It was a very small, independent setup, with just six or seven people on the entire crew, and everyone was extremely collaborative. Because of the limited budget, we had to make do with what we had. Sometimes we couldn’t get the exact locations we wanted, and the actors even brought their own costumes. Everyone was contributing in their own way.

The most important thing was the trust we had in Don and his vision. I think this film really taught me that you don’t necessarily need a big crew or a lot of resources if the filmmaker is very clear about what he wants to do. That clarity gives the whole team a sense of confidence and security.

I don’t think that excitement ever really goes away. Every festival is different, and every film has its own journey, so there’s always a new kind of excitement when you hear that your film is going to have its premiere at a festival.

Cannes and Locarno were very special experiences for me, and they were also quite overwhelming because everything was new. Now, maybe I understand these moments a little better, so the feeling is slightly different. I’m able to appreciate what it means for a film to be selected and to have an audience from a completely different part of the world discover it.

With Ekadesham, it feels especially exciting because of how independently and intimately the film was made. Seeing a film that was made with such a small team travelling to an international festival and having its world premiere in competition is a very special feeling.

A lot of it felt familiar to me. I think when you’re young and trying to find your place in cinema, there’s always this uncertainty. You’re figuring out what you want, where you belong and whether things are actually going to work out.

The characters in Ekadesham are also at that stage in their lives. They’re trying to survive, trying to find their footing and at the same time dealing with friendships, relationships and their own insecurities. Even though their lives and circumstances are different from mine, I could relate to that feeling of not having everything figured out yet. I think that uncertainty is something most young people can recognise in themselves.

Don didn’t really give me a very detailed explanation of who she was or tell me exactly how I should play her. He gave me certain details about her life, background and circumstances, and from those little things, I started building my own understanding of her.

What helped me most was understanding where she was emotionally at that point in her life. She’s someone who has experienced things, made certain choices and is now at a stage where she’s questioning some of those choices and trying to understand what she actually wants.

We did rehearsals before the shoot. We would go through the scenes during rehearsals, and that’s when a lot of things would become clearer to us naturally. By the time we started shooting, we would already be in the flow of the character. I think that process really helps us discover the character rather than just being told how to play them. Don trusted me enough to discover the character on my own.

For Family and Ekadesham, Don arranged rehearsals that helped us inhabit the characters, understand each film’s world and develop a shared language.

I also noticed that the way Don described my character in Family was quite different from how he described my character in Ekadesham. In Ekadesham, most of the time he just went with the flow and gave the actors a lot more freedom, which I think worked because the film itself is about uncertainty. With Family, he seemed to have certain things very clearly fixed in his mind and worked towards that. I felt that freedom, especially in Family, where Don trusted me to explore Rani’s layers and unfamiliar physicality.

Don initially came to Jithin and me with the script, and we stayed in constant touch with him throughout the process. Gradually, he brought in Roshan, Arsha, Santhy and the rest of the cast. Most of my combination scenes were with Jain Andrews, Jithin Puthenchery and Santhy Balachandran. At the same time, all the other actors, including Vinay Forrt and Sherin Catherine, have brought such interesting characters to the film. I’m really looking forward to watching their performances.

This is Mahesh Narayanan’s first time acting in a film, and his very first shot was with me. It was a lot of fun, especially because it was the first time I was seeing him in front of the camera as an actor. I had previously collaborated with him on three films in a director-actor dynamic, so it felt very special to share the screen with him and experience that shift.

There was some pressure, of course. When a film like All We Imagine As Light gets so much attention and love, people naturally start expecting what you’re going to do next. But I didn’t want to carry that pressure into my choices. I didn’t want to think, “My next film has to be as important or as successful as the previous one.” I think that can become very limiting as an actor. For me, every film has its own journey. What matters is whether the character and the film genuinely excite me.

Ekadesham is very different from my previous films and the characters I’ve played before, and that’s exactly what excited me about it.

Actually, when I look at the characters I’ve played so far, they’re all very different from each other. I’ll always be grateful to Payal for trusting me with such a young, charming and romantic role in All We Imagine As Light. And when it comes to Masthishka Maranam, Krishand gave me a very tricky, completely out-of-the-box comedy role. I really love that I’ve been able to explore such different kinds of characters.

The moment you start chasing the success of your previous film, you stop being curious, and I don’t want to lose that curiosity.

My close friends have always told me that filmmakers and writers should explore more of my actual fun side and craziness because I don’t think audiences have really seen that side of me yet.

Most of the characters people have seen me play are quite serious or emotionally intense, so they may have a certain idea of me because of those roles. But I’m actually a very playful person and I really enjoy comedy. I explored that more through theatre, and I would love to bring more of that side of myself into my films.

I don’t want to decide exactly what that unseen side should be. I’d rather discover it through the characters I get to play. Maybe there are parts of me that I haven’t even discovered yet, and that’s what makes acting exciting for me.

I love magical realism, fantasy, science fiction and romantic comedies. When I first started working in cinema, I was more drawn to realistic films and characters that felt familiar. Over time, I’ve become more interested in imaginative stories and worlds that go beyond reality.

As an actor, I’m very interested in subtle comedy. I’ve explored comedy through theatre, but I haven’t really explored it in cinema yet. I love the kind of comedy that comes naturally from the character, through a look, a pause, a reaction or a small situation, rather than someone deliberately trying to be funny. I think that kind of comedy is actually quite challenging, and I would really love to explore it on screen.

After Ekadesham, I worked on a film directed by Kamal KM, and written by Sudha KF. It’s currently a work in progress, and we tried a lot of new things with it. I’m really excited about the film and can’t wait for people to watch it.

At the same time, I’m working on a project in a more creative capacity, as a co-writer and creative member. It’s allowing me to explore a completely different side of filmmaking, which I’m really excited about.

I also have a couple of shoots coming up in the next few months, but I can’t reveal much about them yet.