PremiumExclusive! Fahadh Faasil: I was never claustrophobic, I am someone who finds comfort in a corner
The Vikram star’s upcoming Malayalam movie Malayankunju revolves around a man trapped 40 feet underground after a landslide
Last Updated: 08.12 AM, Jul 21, 2022
Fahadh Faasil’s upcoming survival thriller Malayankunju’s poster came with a disclaimer – ‘People with claustrophobia should be careful as this movie will make you uncomfortable’. The movie revolves around a man trapped 40 feet underground after a landslide and the second half of the film has extensive sequences where the character is stuck in an enclosed space.
For Fahadh, his movies have often led to him conquering his fears. In fact, playing the role of a motivational speaker in Trance and performing in front of hundreds of people helped him conquer his fear of public speaking. For Malayankunju too, the actor insisted that he repeated a sequence that had previously resulted in him falling and suffering an accident on the sets.
Despite the team having to crouch and crawl to shoot the second half of the movie, fear of enclosed spaces was never an issue for him, Fahadh says. “I was never claustrophobic. In fact, I am someone who finds comfort in a corner,” he explains.
The actor, however, says that there are “several aspects to claustrophobia in this film”. “One is that the character itself is so layered. When the tragedy happens, there are so many things inside him that isn’t able to express or communicate in any way. It all stays contained – the emotions as well as the space,” he says. “The entire idea of the exercise was for the film to reflect that to the audience. But everyone’s health is a priority and I don’t want anyone to risk their well-being and hence the disclaimer.”
The actor also reveals that he has never done a movie like this or seen such a movie in Malayalam. Director Bharathan’s 1990 film Malootty, which revolves around the rescue of a child who falls into a drill hole might be the closest, he says. “But the film is more about the efforts made to save the child. Here, we stay with the character. I think it makes for a great theatrical experience and that’s why we tried to make this film,” reveals Fahadh.