Home » Interview » Manjummel Boys star Balu Varghese says one of us would undoubtedly step in for our friend in a similar situation | Exclusive
Manjummel Boys star Balu Varghese says one of us would undoubtedly step in for our friend in a similar situation | Exclusive
Balu Varghese talks about his excitement for his upcoming projects and his experience working with friends in Manjummel Boys in an interview with OTTPlay.
Mar 11, 2024
Balu Varghese
Balu Varghese has been choosing to play a variety of roles lately, having previously performed as a child artist and amusing audiences with his distinctive style of humour. His next-door characters in films like Jan E Man and Operation Java have made an impression on the audience in a short period of time.
Balu is ecstatic about the praise and affection he is getting for the role of Sixen and the Manjummel Boys' amazing success thanks to his up-to-date portrayal of the character. Balu talks about his excitement for his upcoming projects and his experience working with friends in Manjummel Boys in an interview with OTTPlay.
How did you start out with the Manjummel Boys?
Ganapathi and Chidambaram are my best friends. They contacted me about the project and provided me with a description of the character named Sixen. It goes without saying that I was initially perplexed about how to portray a character with such loudness in a way that would not upset people. But Chidambaram believed in me, and I felt the same way, since it was he who gave me one of my best roles to date, Monichan in Jan E Man.
Also Read: Manjummel Boys Writer-Director Chidambaram: 'Cinema Is Not My Politics, Cinema Is Cinema'
It was mentioned by Sixen from the real Manjummel Boys that you could easily mimic his mannerisms and tone. How did you go about getting to know him more thoroughly?
In the beginning, Chidambaram and Ganapathi set up multiple meetings with the actual Manjummel Boys. These exchanges had aided us in comprehending their mannerisms, tone, and speaking style. The wisest thing Chidambaram did was to document their accounts of the 2006 incident in a documentary. They all discussed how they saw that terrifying moment.
Actually, for each actor involved in this project, that was a textbook. Compared to when we read the script, it improved our understanding of these people. I was a bit confident after meeting Sixen. I am extremely happy and cannot express my gratitude enough for the appreciation that I am getting for my performance in this film.
Almost everybody in Manjummel Boys is your close friend. How was your experience working with them again?
The entire credit goes to our casting director, Ganapathi! He brought together a set of friends for this project. We were such a close-knit group of friends that we could portray the strength of friendship that the real gang shared. We experienced the same feeling for nearly a hundred days when they went through the hardship for a single day. If we were artists who seemed to have no connection or relatability to one another, the connection would not have been as successful.
Even though the shoot was hectic, we had a great time. I could not wait to wake up and head over to the location. Manjummel Boys was a tonne of fun for all of us to film. We would certainly go down that pit if one of us fell into it.
You started in films as a child actor. At this point, how would you define your career graph?
I had a great time! This is an industry that I have always admired. People may now use words like nepotism, but I always looked up to my uncle Lal. My father had a close association with the film industry as well. At this point in my career, I am proud of myself because this is what I have always wanted to do. Despite my imperfections, I think I still have a lot to learn about this industry, but I am growing as an actor.
What are your thoughts on the tremendous response to Manjummel Boys?
Each of us was confident that the movie would be a hit in Kerala. But we were not expecting Tamil Nadu to respond like that! I really appreciate everything. The highlight of the entire experience was meeting Kamal sir, and hearing him praise the movie after he had seen it. I really had a conversation with Sir, even though I was afraid I might not be able to say anything in front of him.
What are your upcoming projects?
I am currently working on a movie, along with Arjun Ashokan and Anaswara Rajan. It has not been named yet. My other projects include Princess Street and my brother Jean Paul Lal’s directorial Nadikar, which will hit the big screen soon.
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