It has been a dream journey at the box office skywalkerA fun science-fiction mockumentary made by Arun Chandu. Set in the backdrop of Kerala, which is ravaged by floods and is under the threat of alien invasion, Aju Varghese, who plays the lead role in the film, says the appreciation people have given has been unexpected. “It’s overwhelming. We are thrilled that the film has released all over India,” says Aju.
skywalkerSet in Kerala in 2043, the film revolves around Victor Vasudevan Valparambil (a brilliant KB Ganesh Kumar), a former army officer and alien hunter, and his two foolish companions and sidekicks, Allan Jose Valparambil (Gokul Suresh) and Vaibhav Vidyanathan aka Vibe (Aju) who live in a bunker. Their lives turn upside down when an alien (Anarkali Marikar) starts living with them. Aju is in his element as Vaibhav, a ladies’ man and former social media influencer who is struggling to find his identity after the internet ban. He is now Victor’s cook and he is the one who accidentally brings the alien home.
Actor Aju Varghese | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Aju says this was during the post-production days of the film. Sajan BakeryArun’s second film, that I later narrated the story to him.”[Arun] Chandu, being associated with world cinema, works on weird and crazy subjects. However, I was not sure if people would understand the concept of a mockumentary. But the audience proved me wrong. Fahadh Faasil had said in an interview that we can experiment with anything in Malayalam cinema for the next five years. When a brilliant actor and producer like him makes such an observation, it cannot be taken lightly. I think Chandu was encouraged by those words and got the confidence to go ahead and release it,” says Aju.
In one of his interviews, Arun revealed that initially the theme of the film was very dark and it was Aju who suggested changes to it. “It was a tough time for all of us because of the pandemic. So I asked him if we should make an already depressing situation worse,” recalls Aju. So they toyed with different funny situations, one of them was about giving a new twist to the evergreen film. Kilukkamwhich stars Mohanlal, Revathi and Jagathi Sreekumar in the lead roles. “We wondered what would happen if Revathi Chechi“The character is an alien!” says Aju. Eventually, they came up with a fun yet clever narrative, full of crazy situations and dialogues.
The actor revealed that Ganesh was Arun’s first choice for Victor. “We both like him as an actor and had a lot of fun working with him Sajan Bakery. His potential as an actor has not been explored. His Pathanapuram dialect and the ease with which he delivers dialogues is a delight. Sarcasm, humour, intensity – he conveys it all,” says Aju. Gokul, who worked in Arun’s first film, Sayyahana VarthakalAllen was a natural choice to play the role.
Aju Varghese skywalker
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Aju also mentioned two characters who have made a mark with their voices. Mallika Sukumaran, the voice of the alien, and Abraham Joseph, the dubbing artist who plays the AI, Raghavan.Mother‘In the case, we needed a voice that sounded old as the alien is quite old; also, it had to be a popular voice that could generate laughter. For Raghavan’s voice, Chandu chose Nedumudi Venu ChetanHe further added, “Unfortunately he passed away and we had to look for other options.”
Getting into the role
However, he was not sure whether he would be able to do justice to Vaibhav. “Till that time I had done films like Minnal Murali, Meppadiyan etc. I was no longer of Vaibhav’s age; my mindset had changed. I had gained weight. By then, I had unlearned and learnt a lot as an actor. But I had to wear funky dresses and recreate some of my happy-go-lucky characters. I even asked Chandu if he could make Vaibhav an older character. He convinced me to do the role and insisted that I lose weight. I surrendered to his conviction and trust. He knows my journey and has also directed me in two films. So he knows how to get the performance out of me,” explains Aju.
KB Ganesh Kumar, Aju Varghese and Gokul Suresh in a scene skywalker
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The actor said that he always enjoys working with directors who can bring out the best in him as an artiste. [Sreenivasan]whom I consider my mentor. Ahmed Khabeer is another director who did this [the web series] kerala crime files (KCF) He is one of those filmmakers who believes that it is the actors’ performances that carry the film,” he says.
He was ambivalent about the project because “I am not used to watching this kind of material. Also, the situations in the film were such that you had to imagine everything,” Meraki told [the VFX studio] Later builds, such as floods, debris, including the wreckage of an airplane, a portal through which the aliens arrived, etc. However, even though I was unaware, I didn’t mind because in some cases, imperfections come together to become perfect and that’s what happened Skywalker.,
Aju, who has been a solid presence in the Malayalam film industry for over 14 years, explains that the pandemic has brought about a change in his career, especially in his choice of roles. “Comedy has been my favourite for a long time. But during the break due to Covid-19, I realised that I need to choose roles carefully. Since then, I have not done any character in which I cannot contribute something as an artiste, no matter how long my role is. This includes projects like Minnal Murali, Meppadiyan, KCF, Phoenix, Nadikali Sundari Yamuna, Perilur Premier League (PPF), Saturday night Fever, And varshangalakku sesham,
One thing that hasn’t changed is that he doesn’t read scripts at all. “I listen to the synopsis, that’s all. And I ask the director what I want to do. I firmly believe that the entire film is not my responsibility. It’s the director’s job and I stick to that.”
Aju Varghese and Gokul Suresh in a scene skywalker
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
But what about cameos? Guruvayur Ambalanadayil In which he also sang a song? “He approached me to act in that song sequence. Vipin’s [director Vipin Das] While working, I knew that he would not give me any role without any reason. The decision to sing was mine as I liked the lyrics and the entire song. I also accepted the role because it was an opportunity for me to be associated with a project related to the Guruvayur temple. I had the privilege of doing scenes at the Kollur Mookambika temple. Aravindante Athithikal, In which I also got a chance to drive a jeep to Kudajadri and Vadakkunnathan temple [in Thrissur in Punyalan Agarbathis]” says the actor.
His upcoming projects include Identity, Sthanarthi Sreekuttan, Ajayante Randam Motionam And Nunakkuzhi and a web series love under construction Directed by Vishnu Raghav. “In a web series, you can explore the depth of a character and that is exciting. I have played completely different characters in KCF and PPF and this will be another interesting role love under construction,
He has completed shooting for his first Tamil film Mirchi Shiva directed by Ram. He is currently shooting for another Tamil film, walk on the moonIt stars Prabhu Deva in the lead role and music is composed by A.R. Rahman.
Meanwhile, the actor announced that he no longer wanted to make films. “It was a dream and I have given it up, just like I have given up wanting to be a director! I have realised that acting is the only thing I don’t complain about.”
