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Meet Pazhassi Raja's commander-in-chief

Hariharan's Pazhassi Raja releasing on October 16, is turning out to be one of the most eagerly awaited and expensive films made in Malayalam.

With Mohanlal introducing Pazhassi Raja in Malayalam, Kamal Haasan in Tamil and Shah Rukh Khan in Hindi, the Malayalam film will be dubbed in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, and marketed as an Indian film!

Pazhassi Raja, called the Lion of Kerala, is the first Indian king to revolt against the British East India Company in 1797, much before the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. He was greatly aided by his commander in the battle, Edachena Kunkan.

Sarath Kumar, one of the super stars in Tamil, who plays Edachena Kunkan, talks about his unusual experience.

'How many in India know about Pazhassi Raja?'

When MT (Vasudevan Nair), Hariharan and Mammootty came together in Oru Vadakkan Gadha, it was magic and that is one film Malayalis will never forget. Is the team coming together a reason for you to accept Pazhassi Raja?

Of course, I have heard a lot about Oru Vadakkan Veera Gadha but have not seen the film. I met Hariharan before, and MT is a legendary writer. When they approached me with the subject, I was immediately taken by it.

As a patriotic person, I was attracted to the patriotic feeling that was in the story. I feel if we can make the youth of today patriotic through a film, it will be great. I think the youth of today do not know what their ancestors had gone through to get freedom. Today, I see that people have become materialistic and immersed in their own lives. I am of the opinion that we have to make such films to rekindle the fire in us.

Here was a man who rose up against the British much before the Sepoy Mutiny but how many in India know about Pazhassi Raja? There are many such smaller kings who have gone unnoticed by history. This is what attracted me to the story and the film. I must say it was interesting to work as a team with Mammootty.

I wanted to do films in all the languages, from north to the south. I have acted in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, and am going to act in a Kannada film.

'There is nothing much about Pazhassi Raja on the Internet'

Did you read about the king before you started working on the film?

Unfortunately, there is nothing much about Pazhassi Raja on the Internet. There was no extensive material on the king and his commander Edachena Kunkan whom I was going to portray in the film. There are some monuments and memorials on the king and Edachena kunkan, though.

You said you wanted to expand your horizon by acting in various languages. Does that mean the actor in you is dissatisfied doing certain kind of films again and again in Tamil?

Every actor wants to reinvent himself. I want to do challenging roles, different roles. You do only run-of-the-mill stories all the time. You get tired of running around trees and singing songs. Yes, that is part of entertainment but sometimes, you want to do something different. This is one role that was different and I was immediately attracted by the story, its history, patriotism and realism. There was no question of me thinking twice before saying yes.

'The character Edachena Kunkan suited me'

The dialogues MT writes for such period films are very literary. Could you understand the dialogues?

Hariharan had given me the entire script much before the shooting started. So, I made myself familiar with the dialogues. I know it is not the colloquial Malayalam but very literary. The associate directors were very kind to sit with me and explain how each word is pronounced. I would ask the meaning of every word before I shot for the scene. I noted each and every punctuation. I did a lot of preparation for the film, much more than any Tamil film I had done so far. That is why I am very happy doing the film.

The character Edachena Kunkan suited me as he was the commander in chief or the Dalapathy of King Pazhassi Raja. He was very close to the king also. The character is very similar to Karnan. The kind of integrity you saw in Karnan is there in Edachena Kunkan too.

How was the experience of shooting in the thick forests of Wayanad?

It was interesting with 200-300 people inside the forest shooting. We were taken to a place where we had not gone before. The work was so engrossing that I did not even once think that I was inside a thick jungle and far away from the nearest town.

'Every scene in Pazhassi Raja will make you say 'wow!'''

Did you feel like exploring nature?

Yes, I did but I was so involved in the film and my character that I spent all the time at the shooting spot itself.

Did you see the film after it was shot?

Yes, I was amazed at the result. There are a lot of heroes in the film besides Mammootty and me. Manoj K Jayan, Suresh Krishna, Thilakan, Suman... Padmapriya are also the heroes in the film.

When you see the film, you will see in every frame an actor who can act. Every actor is a hero by himself. Every character is so well etched by MT that you think everybody is a hero. Every scene will make you say 'wow!'

How much did Pazhassi Raja satisfy the actor in you?

A lot. I like the role as he adheres to certain values. It gave great scope to perform.