All good acting is internal, believes actor Kay Kay Menon, who says he is often accused of playing serious characters when he can be “seriously funny” too.
Whether it was the flamboyant criminal mastermind Mansoor Dalal in web series “Farzi” or Khurram Meer, the conniving uncle in “Haider”, the actor said the process doesn’t change for him with roles.
“People have accused me of doing very serious roles, but I can be seriously funny as well. It completely depends on the role I’m playing at that point of time. Whatever the character may be, I try to portray it well…
“As far as internalisation is concerned, all good acting is internal. Be it an extroverted character or an introvert, the process has to be internal,” Menon told PTI in an interview here.
The Kerala-born actor will next be seen in “Love All”, directed by Sudhanshu Sharma. The Hindi sports drama will see him play Siddharth, a former badminton star, who is torn between letting his son Aditya pursue the game or protecting him from the tough world of sports.
Describing it as “believable cinema”, Menon said the Bhopal-set movie depicts the struggles of a middle-class family without any sheen.
“Realism in cinema is a myth. There’s believable cinema, there’s non-believable cinema. Realism is a factor of time and space. When you have a department called editing, you’re jumping time or space. So, then it doesn’t remain real anymore. What you try to do is make believable cinema.
“Then, you can make science fiction also and it can be believable. Science fiction is not real. I try to make it as believable as possible… ‘Love All’ is believable cinema. There is a middle class (family) here, so, you will get a middle class family. No external gloss has been plastered on it to make it shiny,” he added.
Sharma, who also sat down for the interview, said badminton is the real star of “Love All”.
“Besides being a sports drama, this is the story of a middle class family and their life battles. Should they let their child pursue sports or not? If I talk about the USP of the film, that’s badminton. I don’t think any film in world cinema has presented badminton in the professional way that we have in our film,” he said.
There was a promise that the badminton sport will be authentic, added Menon.
“Most of our sports films, after a point of time, end up highlighting the stars instead of the game. Here, badminton itself is the star. That’s what is unique about it. All the children who are part of the film are national and international players. You’ll feel as if you are watching real badminton matches. We didn’t need any special effects. So, that was my first attraction towards the film.”
Sharma, also known for directing 2018’s “Kalichaat”, said having badminton chief national coach Pullela Gopichand on board his latest film as presenter was “a stamp of achievement”.
“He was not part of the film while it was being shot. He became a part of the film when the trailer was sent to him. He liked the trailer and wanted to watch the film. He watched it while he was at the Korea Open. Soon, he got in touch with us and asked ‘Tell me how can I help you with the film? I want this film to be watched around the world’. We said it would be great if he could present the film and he agreed instantly,” he added.
At a time where big-budget films such as “Pathaan” and “Gadar 2” are ruling the box office, Menon said it is important for the audience to “come in droves” and watch a film like “Love All” in theatres.
“We always strive to work in good films. But this is the litmus test for the audience that films like this also run well. So that we can say all kinds of films are made and appreciated in our country.
“I want the audience to give us a promise that appreciating good cinema doesn’t remain lip service. They have to come to theatres to watch it. That will be a testament to the fact that good cinema should exist,” the actor further said.
Sharma said there is a future for small-budget and content-driven movies working in the cinemas provided they receive the viewers’ support.
“The same audience is often seen saying they are not getting to see good cinema. So if they want to resolve this complaint, they must support low- and mid-budget films with content.
“That support won’t come from the government or outside, it will have to come from the viewers. There has been support previously, hope ‘Love All’ also receives the same backing. Big-budget films have their own place. It’s all cinema, I hope all types of films get made simultaneously,” the filmmaker added.
Backed by Filmart Productions, L6F Studios, and Anand Pandit Motion Pictures, “Love All” will hit the screens on September 1 in eight languages, including Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Assamese. The makers also plan to release the film in China, Japan and South Korea.
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