'Maranamass' actor Rajesh Madhavan wants to play a 'psycho villain' more often | Interview

Actor Rajesh Madhavan, best known for his roles in 'Maheshinte Prathikaram' and 'Enna Thaan Case Kodu', is grateful to 'Maranamass' director Sivaprasad for trusting him with a 'psycho villain' character in the movie. Rajesh played Sreekumar (SK), a serial killer in the Basil-starrer 'Maranamass', which hit theatres last week. While the film opened to mixed responses, critics have hailed Rajesh's performance in the movie as he played the character with perfection.

Rajesh told Onmanorama that he loves playing psycho villains because it allows him to experiment and gives him a better understanding of his acting abilities. "Sivaprasad and I have known each other for a long time and I knew he would give me a role in his film. But I was surprised when he offered me this big role. As actors, you long to experiment with different types of characters, and 'Maranamass' gave me that break," he said.

He also wanted to shed the 'cartoon-like' and exaggerated versions of the characters he has played in the past. He added that his different looks have always led to a perception that he would be better for lighter roles. "I think that is why I often get to play quirky characters. However, I have never felt typecast, though I want to shed that 'quirky' image that I often portray. My friends have often told me that I could excel playing psycho characters and this gave me the confidence to do Maranamass," he said, adding he would like to do different shades of psycho villains in the future.

The actor said the support from his co-stars has always helped him ace his performance. "I don't think I could have pulled off Luke without the support of my co-actors. It was fun working with Basil Joseph, Suresh Krishna, Anishma, and the rest of the cast. I particularly enjoyed the bus scene in the movie as we spent a lot of time together for the shoot. Though I have worked with Basil in 'Minnal Murali', we never got to do combination scenes before," he said.

Rajesh said he is an accidental actor as he had come into films to work behind the camera. "My ultimate dream was to become a director, which is why I started my career as an assistant director. One thing led to another and soon I got the opportunity to debut as an actor in Dileesh Pothen's film 'Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum'. I never thought I would continue as an actor for long. Mammookka (Mammootty) once contacted me after the makers released a song in 'Sureshanteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hrudayahariyaya Pranayakadha' and told me that I have shown so much improvement. This comment has given me the confidence to continue. Even Pothen (Dileesh Pothen) has been kind with his encouragement," he said.

Rajesh is currently busy with the post-production work of his directorial debut 'Pennum Porattum', which is expected to hit theatres in the coming months.