When Shinz decided to quit his job and try his luck in films, he had given himself a year as a deadline. But that deadline stretched to many years. A lot of people criticized his decision at that time. But then although he took his time to establish himself as an actor, Shinz eventually managed to prove them wrong. More than films, people are more familiar with the actor through web series. Though many don’t know his name, his face is familiar even to children today. He is a familiar face thanks to being part of critically acclaimed films and web series. Recently his characters in the 'Kerala Crime Files' web series on Hotstar and 'Jackson Bazaar Youth' film were instantly noticed. For someone who had stage fright in school and college, he has really come a long way. The change didn’t happen overnight. He speaks to Manorama Online Zee Real Stars.
The tale behind his quaint name
My real name is Shinu. It was my acting Guru Sajiv Nambiath who changed my name to Shinz Shinu. I changed my spelling to Z instead of S. But then people started pronouncing my name wrongly. Though I have a Chinese-sounding name, I hail from Vypeen. I became an actor by accident. I had a friend called Sree who badly wanted to act in films. I used to accompany him to auditions. He would perform and I would sit outside. Once he did a short film in 2012 and my one-and-half-year-old daughter Thanmaya acted in it. I also played a small role in that. That was when I learned the technique to act in front of the camera. They told me not to look at the camera while acting. Till then I was under the impression that you have to look at the camera and act. For me, that tip was such a relief. I was called for 2-3 short films after watching my performance in that film. I was beginning to enjoy acting. So I decided to learn seriously about it.
Entering cinema through Act Lab
I enrolled in an acting course at the Kochi-based Act Lab. I was part of a 3-day acting workshop and later joined their Sunday batch. At that time I was working at a private company. Once I started the course, I started attending it regularly on Sundays. At the end of the course, we were required to stage a play. We did NN Pillai sir’s ‘Goodnight’. Director and Screenplay writer Kalavoor Ravi sir who was part of the audience invited me to be part of his film, ‘Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka.’ I played the role of a terrorist in that film which was my debut.
Criticism helped
I never told anyone that I used to go to acting classes. But I left my job once the course got over. Looking back I don’t know how I made that decision considering the situation at home. We have two daughters and though my wife is salaried, we needed both our incomes to run the family. I thought of taking a break from work for a year. I shouldn’t regret later that I didn’t try enough. But that break stretched for 11 years. When I quit my job, I wasn’t sure I would be able to make a living from acting. It is only recently that I started getting some money from acting.
There is a vast difference between having money and being penniless. Having said that money wasn’t my motivation to act. I had the responsibility to win the trust of people who were close to me. Because my 1-year break went on forever. Whatever I am today is because of the support I got from my family. There were times when I almost thought of giving up. Many people thought I was being irresponsible. But I took all that as a challenge to move forward.
Krishand’s discovery
Meeting Krishand was a turning point in my career. It was after watching one of my acting performances at Act Lab that he called me for his ‘Vrithakruthiyilulla Chathuram.’ Some of the portions were shot at Varanasi. I can never forget my flight trip or the shooting experiences there. I was there with Krishand when the film was screened at IFFK. We have a strong bond now. I also acted in his web series, 'Aavasavyuham', and 'Purusha Pretham'. While shooting 'Aavasavyuham', there were funding issues. That was an indie film. It was also tough to convince Krishand’s idea to a filmmaker. Thus I became a co-producer due to circumstances. I consider it my fortune to be a part of a film that won the State Award for Best Film. I don’t know if such a film will happen again.
Audition is the key
I attend almost all auditions. Once I went to actor Joy Mathew’s house to ask for a role. 'Shutter' had just been released. Me and Sree made bio data and carried a CD featuring our short films. He wasn’t at home and the dog kept barking at us. Finally, we handed over the biodata and CD to the maid and left. Later I told this to sir. Whatever opportunities I got was through auditions.
Karikku was a good run
I met the cast of 'Karikku' during the shoot of 'Argentina Fans Kattoorkadavu'. Anu and Arjun were part of the film. We left the sets with the promise that we would be called when we have an apt character. They kept their word. Anu called me for a small role in ‘Family Pack.’ Though I have acted in at least 15 films, that role gave me popularity. I did roles in series like Average Ambili, Jabala, and Insomnia Nights and they were all noticed.
Aju Varghese really motivated me
I bagged the role in 'Kerala Crime Files' through an audition. I did have the feeling that I was a miscast in the series and I conveyed that to director Ahmed Kabeer. I wondered if there was a cop who was so heavy with a potbelly. So Aju Varghese kept sending me pictures of cops and reassured me that my pot belly was smaller than theirs. He gave me so much confidence. That character became so popular that my phone hasn’t stopped ringing since then. That gave me so much happiness.
Survival is the biggest test
Anyone who knew me since childhood would have never imagined that I would become an actor. Because I was such a shy kid. I was always scared to talk in front of many people. It was my wife Ambili who used to constantly motivate me. She works at Akashavani and would tell me that if she can do it why can’t I? It is of course not so difficult to do 3 or 4 films but the challenge is to survive in this field. I don’t know whether to play character roles or hero roles. The only thing I know is that I need to survive in this industry. I want to make a living through acting. Nothing more, nothing less.
