Will always choose direction over acting, says Malayalam actor-filmmaker Basil Joseph

The 34-year-old, known for films such as ‘Godha’ and ‘Minnal Murali’, says he believes in doing good cinema, not a project

New Delhi: Malayalam director Basil Joseph, known for films such as ‘Godha’ and ‘Minnal Murali’, says achieving success as an actor gave him the financial stability to mount his filmmaking pursuits as he is not someone who sets up a film as a project.

Till date, Joseph has only directed three films ‘Kunjiramayanam’ (2015), ‘Godha’ (2017), and ‘Minnal Murali’ (2021). But he has almost 50 movies as an actor to his credit, starting from 2013’s ‘Up & Down: Mukalil Oralundu’, ‘Joji’, ‘Jan.E.Man’, ‘Falimy’, and ‘Sookshmadarshini’.

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As an actor, Joseph’s latest release is ‘Ponman’, directed by Jothish Shankar. It was released in theatres on January 30.

“I started out as a part-time actor. I was called to act in one of my friend’s films and that character got noticed. Then I got another role. I started acting as a financial relief for me to become a director. You have to wait for a long time for an actor’s dates as a director. You have to write and you have to wait and wait. Those spaces are filled by my acting career.

“I got that stability of standing on my own feet during the waiting period so you don’t have to be desperate for making movies in the pipeline and doing project after project. I believe in doing good cinema, not a project. Being an actor just helped me be financially stable and do the films only according to my convenience or if I am ready to direct a film,” Joseph said.

With success and acclaim, his responsibility as an actor has also increased. “The expectation starts rising after you start gaining success as an actor. Directors also come up to you with a lot of expectations… it’s like an additional responsibility, you can’t see it as a part-time job anymore so I started putting more effort into being an actor… But I’ll always choose direction over acting…” he added.

In the dark comedy film ‘Ponman’, Joseph plays PP Ajesh, a gold dealer who lends jewellery for a village wedding, but finds himself in danger when the bride’s criminal husband schemes to keep all the gold for himself. It is based on the Malayalam novel ‘Naalu Anju Cheruppakare’ by GR Indugopan.

The actor said he was “instinctually” into the project right from the beginning. “The character Ajesh is a fighter, he’s like an underdog character. He doesn’t lose hope and fights for survival… It’s a ‘David versus Goliath’ type story… The film also touches upon the theme of dowry but through a different perspective, that of a man.”

The 34-year-old said he is happy to be part of Malayalam cinema at a time when its popularity is at an all-time high. “Right now it’s Malayalam cinema’s time and I’m glad that I’m part of the industry at its peak. This is going to get better with the coming years with the kind of filmmakers and the sensibilities they are bringing to the table.

“Younger filmmakers are exposed to international films and cultures so they have found the knack of going beyond borders. I think it’s going to be a more exciting time for the industry in the next five-10 years. Malayalam cinema is going to go global,” Joseph added.

The actor called ‘Ponman’ a rural story with a universal appeal. “It is set in the coastal region of rural Kerala with a really original setting and story… We believe in the ‘local is international’ kind of space. The more local you tell the story, the more international it’s going to be. ‘Ponman’ is another Malayalam film that people will talk about,” he said.

Produced by Vinayaka Ajith, ‘Ponman’ also stars Sajin Gopu, Lijomol Jose, Deepak Parambol, Anand Manmadhan, and Sandhya Rajendran, among others.