Kalabhavan Shajohn (L) and Akshay, Shankar and Rajini at the launch of 'Enthiran 2.o'As Constable Sahadevan of Drishyam, Kalabhavan Shajohn was a savage. We, as the audience, loathed his face so much so that we just couldn’t stand him on screen. But Drishyam proved to be a game-changer for Shajohn who had been doing sidekick roles till then.
The actor’s career graph instantly rose with films such as Amar Akbar Anthony, Oppam, Kattapanayile Hrithik Roshan, Munthirivallikal Thalirkumbol, The Great Father, Velipadinte Pusthakam, Ramaleela, Sherlock Toms, etc.
Well, the tale hasn't ended there. Guess who all are sharing screen space with Kalabhavan Shajohn in his upcoming movie? It’s none other than Bollywood’s Khiladi Akshay Kumar and Thalaiva Rajinikanth! Yes, Shajohn will be doing a prominent role in Shankar's much-hyped Tamil sci-fi movie, Enthiran 2.0, which is all set to release in January 2018.
When Onmanorama caught up with Shajohn, he was all excited to speak about his first project in Kollywood. “It was my long-time dream to act in a Tamil movie. Though I've been getting good characters in the Malayalam industry after Drishyam, deep inside, I longed for a full-fledged Tamil movie. But when I got a call from the Enthiran team, I was truly in the clouds,” Shajohn says.
Though the actor didn't divulge into much details about his character nor the movie, Shajohn told us that he has got some major combination sequences with Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth.
“There were several hurdles on my way to this movie. The crew demanded some dates in which I was nowhere in the country. When I felt that the offer is slipping out of my hands, I personally called them up and expressed my interest to be a part of the magnum opus even if it is a single scene. To my surprise, the crew postponed their shoot schedule to match with my dates. I have heard that if Shankar sir casts a person to a role, he goes to any extreme to save it,” Shajohn said.
Kalabhavan Shajon in the movie 'Ramaleela'Also read: Ramaleela movie review
Shajohn added that Kollywood has huge respect for Malayalam movie artists that he was taken aback seeing the hospitality they show towards a supporting artist on the set.
“Shankar sir shared with me the memories of his association with Cochin Haneefa and Kalabhavan Mani. Mani used to say a lot of good things about the Tamil film industry. But none of us would believe it. Now I understand he was right. I just realized how Mollywood artists are revered across other film industries in India,” he said.
The shoot schedules of Enthiran 2.0 was completed last year itself and the crew is now busy with its post-production works. Meanwhile, Shajohn is looking forward to the release of his upcoming Malayalam movies such as Akashamittayi, which is the first Malayalam movie directed by Tamil actor Samuthirakani, and Masterpiece, a Mammootty-starrer directed by Ajay Vasudevan.
