‘Aashaan’ is the kind of role I’ve been waiting for, Mammootty told me something special: Indrans

For an actor who spent years being boxed into comic parts, Indrans now finds himself drawn to roles that ask more of him — physically, emotionally, and even culturally. It is not a conscious reinvention, he insists, but an inner pull towards characters that demand performance rather than punchlines. That longing is precisely what made him say yes to ‘Aashaan’, Johnpaul George’s latest film, where Indrans plays an ageing residents’ association president whose quiet authority is disrupted when a film crew arrives to shoot at his apartment complex.

“It’s very difficult for someone like me to even get such a role,” Indrans says, speaking to Onmanorama. “That’s why I wanted to do it. I liked the character very much. It was interesting, layered, and different from anything I’ve done before.”

In ‘Aashaan’, Indrans sheds familiarity almost entirely. Long white hair, a thick moustache, and an unassuming presence mark his transformation into the titular character. More strikingly, the role required him to perform Kathakali sequences — a demand that took him far outside his comfort zone. The preparation was intense and time-consuming, involving days of practice and sustained physical discipline.

The training, however, did not happen in one stretch. At the time, Indrans was also shooting for ‘Chinna Chinna Aasai’ in Varanasi. Between takes and brief breaks, he would rehearse the Kathakali portions wherever he could find space. “It needed more commitment than usual,” he says. “But when a role gives you that kind of scope, you don’t think twice.”

This appetite for character-driven parts marks a quiet but visible shift in Indrans’ career. Once known almost exclusively for comedy, he now finds himself gravitating towards roles that allow deeper exploration. He describes the transition not as a decision, but as something that happened organically.

“It’s like a flow,” he explains. “I do give slightly more importance to character-oriented roles now, because deep inside there’s an urge. When we write an exam, we try to finish the parts we know well first. In the same way, I naturally tilt towards roles that have more scope for performance.”

Does he miss doing comedy? Indrans pauses before answering. He does not say no to such roles, he clarifies, but admits that they come his way far less frequently now. “I don’t avoid anything,” he says.

On the sets of ‘Aashaan’, Indrans was the most experienced actor, working alongside several fresh faces and junior artistes. Yet, there is no hierarchy in the way he speaks about them. Many of his co-actors, he notes, are already well-versed in short films and reel culture, bringing their own energy and ambition to the project.

“There’s a lot to learn from them,” he says. “They’re fun, mischievous, and full of ambition. The director doesn’t need to give them instructions any differently than he gives me. That’s enough.”

Even the physical transformation for the film played a key role in helping Indrans inhabit the character. He laughs when he talks about enjoying the makeover, but there is sincerity beneath the humour. “Half the trick comes from the costume and the look,” he says. “When you look right, it becomes easier to play the character convincingly.”

Recently, Indrans took to social media to make a heartfelt appeal, urging audiences to watch ‘Aashaan’ in theatres. The concern was not unfounded. Johnpaul George’s debut film ‘Guppy’ had won multiple State Awards but struggled to draw crowds to theatres — a fate Indrans hoped ‘Aashaan’ would avoid.

“People coming to theatres are fewer now,” he says. “There are no major stars here, but this is a good film. A lot of work has gone into it. I couldn’t attend many promotional events because I’m in the middle of shoots, which is why I made that video.”

The response, he says, has been encouraging from those who have watched the film. “They’re saying positive things. I just wanted people to know that the film wouldn’t disappoint. Still, the numbers turning up are less.”

Even as ‘Aashaan’ finds its way slowly to audiences, Indrans is already part of a project that carries enormous weight in Malayalam cinema history. He is currently shooting for ‘Padayatra’, which marks the reunion of Mammootty and Adoor Gopalakrishnan after more than three decades.

There is also a small moment Indrans speaks about with quiet pride. Mammootty, he says, watched ‘Aashaan’ and later told him how much he liked it. The senior actor even joked that Indrans seemed to be getting an enviable variety of roles these days, at a time when others were not.