It’s been five years since Sarjano Khalid set foot in Malayalam cinema. Although it was through Nonsense (2018) that he first made a brief appearance, it wasn’t exactly a confidence booster for him. “It made me realise that acting is not easy as it seems. There was a point where the director laughed out loud at something I did,” he recalls.
Sarjano was pondering the idea of pursuing a degree first and getting back to movies when he aced an audition for Ahammed Khabeer’s June (2019), which got him noticed. “It was a sign to try it despite the lack of certainty. Sometimes our instinct tells us what we are about to do will work. In that way, my inner voice told me June would work, and it did; it was a fresh learning experience.”
Excerpts:
When did your interest in cinema begin?
Well, we always talked cinema at home. My father used to be in the television industry. When I was watching films as a normal viewer, I had this urge to see myself on screen. Maybe it’s all a result of manifestation. It was all sudden. To be very honest, I haven’t made a lot of effort to get into films.
Did your family react with a sense of apprehension at your desire to get into cinema?
They still have concerns. When my mom sees some news pieces, she asks me about them and cautions me about losing my way. I didn’t tell my parents about the audition until I got it. If I had informed them earlier, my mom would’ve suggested I wait until I finish my college education. Cinema is an uncertain field. However, when June came out, my parents were most excited.
What was the driving factor for you to get into films?
Probably its popularity. I had a strong intuition that I would reach here no matter what. I haven’t really worked that hard so I can’t talk about that much. I still see a lot of talented people struggling. Sometimes I feel I don’t have any talent compared to some of the deserving people in my circle who put in a lot of effort.
How did the exposure from June impact you?
I got a lot of attention, which was unexpected. I was in the limelight for a while. For some reason, that didn’t get into my head. I don’t get high on the sudden accumulation of friends or anything. Though I wanted to see myself on the posters, I wasn’t excited after my posters came out. I think I handled fame well. My friends and family are most important to me.
Can you recall the experience of working with superstars like Mohanlal (in Big Brother) and Vikram (in Cobra)?
I’ve heard people often talk about Lalettan’s friendly nature and how he makes his co-stars comfortable. But when I first met him on the sets of Big Brother, it was totally in contrast to the picture I had in mind. Usually, when we meet someone for the first time, we get an idea about him, right? But I just couldn’t figure out this person. Then I realised that he also takes some time to mingle because, from the second day onwards, he was completely different. He would regularly interact with us, cracking jokes and sharing stories. He treated me like a younger brother, and I think that’s his process because it would make us look convincing as siblings on screen.
With Vikram sir, though we didn’t have any combination scenes, we used to meet often on sets. I once asked him about his acting process and his penchant for doing a variety of characters. Usually, senior actors try to evade such questions by giving vague answers. At least in my experience, I haven’t seen anyone making an effort to tell me things. But Vikram sir patiently explained his techniques and how he bettered his craft.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked with these legends and indulge in such conversations with them. It’s nothing short of a masterclass.
Did you notice any major differences in the work culture between the two industries?
Tamil cinema is a very comfortable space because of the facilities you get there. There’s also a lot of respect for the profession compared to Malayalam, which has a slightly egoistic environment, where people, who claim to be running the industry, can be very demanding. Certain production controllers approach us for a project, but they’ll make us feel they’re doing us a favour. No such thing in Tamil yet.
‘My commitment to my family keeps me grounded’
One of your lines from Big Brother—“Ente ettan enthoru sundarana”—got trolled a lot.
I didn’t realise it was a troll for a long time, because I didn’t mind it. But, what can you do? It’s simply a line you were told to say. I did think it was a bit cringe-inducing when I’d first read it. Someone else also told me the same thing. But when you work with someone like Siddique sir, you know you should say a line exactly as he’d written it. You can’t modify it even a little bit—a luxury that maybe experienced actors would have—but as far as I’m concerned, he wasn’t very confident about doing that. There was an instance where I suggested a change and he said it meant something else.
Would you say you have more freedom to give inputs with younger filmmakers?
Yes, I’ve had that with filmmakers like Arun Bose chettan (on upcoming Marivillin Gopurangal) or Ranjith Sankar sir. When working with the latter on 4 Years, there were dialogues Priya (Varrier) and I were able to correct. We were free to say, “I don’t think this person would say something like this here.” Ranjith sir had his own perspective, but by then we were in a position to give our own inputs. I felt that this character, Vishal, had more toxic traits than what we see now.
Vishal must’ve been quite a challenging character…
Vishal had a lot going on in his head, and I had a tough time pulling it off. Before the film’s shoot, I would constantly be in discussion with Ranjith sir, and it was very hard to convince him.
He is blunt with his opinions, and it used to put me under a lot of stress. But once we began shooting, he didn’t say anything as he could see that I got the hang of the character. It was a challenge that I enjoyed doing. Right now, that’s my priority.
What can you tell us about your yet-to-be-released State award-winner Ennivar?
It was a relatively more experimental film we shot during the pandemic. I loved that film because I connected to the story a lot. I think I’ve done a good job. In fact, Arun chettan and Ranjith sir called me for 4 Years after seeing Ennivar.
Most of the current crop of young Malayalam actors maintain a vibrant social media presence, but not you. Are you generally reserved, or are you playing safe by choice?
When it comes to social media, honestly, I find it hard to be vulnerable and unusually exposed to the public—a choice I made because I’ve seen other celebrities trying hard to maintain their public persona. I just don’t want to be there. Also, the public sees different shades of you on social media, so when they see this person as a character on-screen, the excitement associated with the novelty element is gone.
These days, drug usage among young actors is a hot topic. Does peer pressure affect you too, or do you stay away?
I do things that make me happy without bothering anyone. I indulge in parties or social gatherings responsibly because I have a home and family to return to. As I said earlier, my concerned mother keeps giving me gentle reminders whenever issues surrounding drugs crop up. Also, bothering my family in any way was never on my list. I know how hard my parents worked to provide for me and my siblings. I think all of these keep me grounded.
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