The wrestlers who weren’t wrestlers: How Bhasmasuran, Kadalkomban and Jango Sulthaan grounded ‘Chatha Pacha’

When ‘Chatha Pacha’ began circulating through conversations in Kochi and beyond, much of the early attention naturally went to its leads and its unusual setting. Adhvaith Nayar’s debut film, rooted in the city’s fringe wrestling scene and borrowing its visual grammar from the exaggerated theatre of WWE rather than conventional sports cinema, stood out for its tone and texture. But once audiences settled into the world of Savio, Vetri, and Little, another set of characters quietly began to steal the spotlight.

Bhasmasuran. Kadalkomban. Jango Sulthaan.

Played by Syamaprakash MS, Dartagnan Sabu, and Vyshnav Biju respectively, the trio felt so lived-in that many viewers assumed they were real wrestlers pulled straight from local arenas. The irony is that off screen, none of the three resemble their on-screen personas, and none of them are professional wrestlers. What binds them together is not background or training, but the strange alignment of timing, preparation, and a film that demanded complete physical and emotional commitment.

For Vyshnav Biju, who plays the towering Jango Sulthaan, scale is the first thing people notice. At 6.5 feet tall, he cuts an imposing figure in ‘Chatha Pacha’, but his career trajectory so far has been anything but straightforward. At just 23, this is already his 13th film. Vyshnav stepped into cinema in 2024, immediately after completing his BTech, beginning with brief appearances in films like ‘Kurup’ before moving through small but steady character roles in ‘Perilloor Premier League’, ‘Idiyan Chandhu’, and ‘Varshangalkku Shesham’.

The call for ‘Chatha Pacha’ came after the makers noticed him in ‘Perilloor Premier League’. Wrestling, however, was entirely new territory. Vyshnav had no prior experience, apart from childhood memories of casually watching WWE. What followed was three months of intensive training in parkour and Kalaripayattu before the shoot even began. Early attempts, he admits, didn’t quite work. Movement, flexibility, and rhythm came only after repeated drills. He credits stunt choreographer Kalai for shaping each character’s physical language differently, ensuring that the fights didn’t feel generic or overdesigned.

Interestingly, Jango Sulthaan wasn’t initially conceived the way audiences see him now. The makers wanted a character who was both tall and massive. When they realised Vyshnav and Dartagnan brought different physical qualities, the role was split, giving the film both Jango Sulthaan and Kadalkomban. The result added texture to the wrestling world rather than simplifying it.

The response since release has been overwhelming. Vyshnav says people now recognise him by his character’s name, something he never expected. Acting was something he wanted deeply, though the fear of being judged never quite left him. During the Covid lockdown, he began posting videos on TikTok, some of which went viral. That visibility gave him the confidence to attend auditions, slowly leading him here.

If Vyshnav’s journey is marked by momentum, Dartagnan Sabu’s, known as Datu among friends, is shaped by patience. At 28, he is the only one in the trio with formal martial arts training, having learned Kalaripayattu as a child. That background became crucial during auditions. Knowing the film revolved around wrestling, he tailored his audition tape accordingly. Adhvaith Nayar liked what he saw, and Dartagnan found himself part of the project.

Unlike his co-stars, Dartagnan had been auditioning for years. He had acted in projects that never made it to screens and had even directed a play. ‘Chatha Pacha’ became his first full-fledged acting role to reach audiences. Working alongside Arjun Ashokan felt surreal, especially since films he had auditioned for earlier — like ‘Thuramukham’ and ‘Parava’ — also featured Arjun. Wrestling itself was unfamiliar terrain, but endurance training and basic martial arts helped ground the performances.

The reactions after the film’s release, Dartagnan says, have been intense. For him, even criticism feels like affirmation, simply because the work is being seen. One moment stands out more than most: Mammootty’s cameo. The cast learned about it only during the shoot, heightening the excitement. Dartagnan recalls being told that Mammootty asked someone on set whether he was a real wrestler — a question that felt like quiet validation.

Despite the scale of the project, Dartagnan remains grounded. He speaks of gratitude, but also of effort. The hunger to keep doing good work, he says, is what sustains him. The set felt like a family, one where even newcomers were listened to and encouraged.

Syamaprakash MS, who plays the eccentric and unpredictable Bhasmasuran, arrives at ‘Chatha Pacha’ from an entirely different route. A decade-long dream culminates here, after years spent working behind the camera as a cinematographer and assistant director. He shares a long personal and creative history with Roshan Mathew — the two were college mates at Madras Christian College and founding members of a theatre group there.

Syamaprakash came on board after Adhvaith watched Bye Bye Bypass, a play directed by Roshan Mathew in which Syamaprakash also performed.

The role wasn’t approached as comedy, even though Bhasmasuran often draws laughs. Syamaprakash says treating the character as overtly funny would have made the performance feel forced. Instead, the humour emerged organically from the character’s eccentricities and the situations he finds himself in.

He believes the authenticity audiences sense comes partly from unfamiliarity. As relatively new faces, there’s no baggage or association that interferes with belief. Though his interactions with Mammootty in ‘Chatha Pacha’ were limited, Syamaprakash had previously worked with him as an assistant director on ‘Pathinettam Padi’. Even now, admiration brings a quiet nervousness. Watching children gather around Mammootty, he admits, stirs a childlike wish to do the same.

Acting was always the goal, even when auditions didn’t work out. Theatre became home. Being part of a film now feels like an extension of that journey rather than a departure. When Syamaprakash saw his name in the acting credits, he couldn’t hold back tears. Speaking about Roshan, his voice softens. He credits him as the reason he is here, someone who stood by him from the very beginning.

Together, Bhasmasuran, Kadalkomban, and Jango Sulthaan do more than fill out the margins of ‘Chatha Pacha’. They give the film its rough edges and its sense of place. Each performance feels grounded enough to pass for someone you might actually run into in that world, which is why the wrestling ring never feels staged.