Exclusive! Dhyan Sreenivasan: Had signed multiple projects during the pandemic as I felt financially insecure

Dhyan had signed over 20 movies since the start of the pandemic including Prakashan Parakkatte, Thrayam and Udal

Dhyan Sreenivasan

A look at Dhyan Sreenivasan’s upcoming films would easily make for the argument that he’s one of the busiest actors in Malayalam cinema today. With over 20 films, the actor has enough on his plate to keep him for this year and the next.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Dhyan explains what prompted him to sign as many films. “To be frank, post pandemic, I began having insecurities,” says the actor. “Movies were not happening and there was a phase where I thought I wouldn’t have any work. I had invested close to two years for my directorial Love Action Drama and I didn’t have any films at hand after that. So, there was the fear of financial instability that was the driving factor to sign any film that came my way during the pandemic.”

The actor says that the only project that he was part of in 2020 was Suraj Venjaramoodu’s Higuita. “But during the pandemic, many people approached me for films and I signed them, not out of passion, but purely for financial reasons,” says Dhyan, whose most recent release in the thriller Udal.

He also explains that it was the right approach too as it was important for small films to be made during the pandemic to get the industry working. “We were all in crisis. Also, you have to keep in mind that apart from the top tier actors such as Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahadh, Dulquer, Nivin and Tovino, there aren’t a lot of other artistes in Malayalam and so these offers came to me,” he said.

However, Dhyan says that he assures that he doesn’t take any random film just for the sake of making money. “I tried to take up small films that are made on a limited budget so that they at least break even and the producers don’t burn their hands,” says Dhyan. “Also, it was the time when mainstream actors such as Rajuvettan (Prithviraj) and Fahadh were doing OTT films such as Cold Case and Irul. There were limited options for us because there were shooting restrictions. We had to do films.”

While Dhyan agrees that initially he was committing to films to make himself financially secure during the crisis, over time it also helped him professionally. “When you work on so many films, after a point, you start enjoying the process of ‘working’. During the pandemic, I was at home throughout and then when the films started going on floors, I was hopping for sets to sets and I learnt to enjoy that. It stemmed from my decision to choose work,” he explains.

While he has also scripted a few ventures including Prakashan Parakkatte and Aap Kaise Ho, Dhyan says he will not be directing anytime soon. “I want to complete all my pending acting commitments first. Right now, I am enjoying this phase. When you are directing, you have to allot a lot more time for a single film and at this point, I am not ready for that,” he concludes.

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