The Malayalam actor describes 'Paradise', released on June 28, as unlike any other film he has previously been involved in. Read on to know why.
Roshan Mathew's latest outing 'Paradise' won awards and nominations at several film festivals. (Instagram)
Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew boasts an impressive career, spanning over nine years, with a wide variety of films and roles. His theater background has apparently helped him pick unique scripts and carve a niche in the industry.
Roshan Mathew has had an interesting journey since his debut film Adi Kapyare Kootamani (2015). He made a mark with every role he played in his next ventures, including Puthiya Niyamam (2016), Koode (2018), Moothon (2019), Kappela (2020), C U Soon (2021), Oru Thekkan Thallu Case (2022), Pookkaalam (2023), and Neelavelicham (2023).
The actor also turned heads with his spellbinding performances in Anurag Kashyap’s Choked (2020), Jasmeet K Reen’s Darlings (2022), and the Malayalam crime-drama miniseries Poacher (2024).
And now, he’s coming up with a critically acclaimed movie titled Paradise. A thriller directed by Prasanna Vithanage, it also features Darshana Rajendran, Shyam Fernando, Mahendra Perera, Shyam Fernando, Sumith Ilango, and Azher Samsoodeen in prominent roles.
The movie was produced by Newton Cinema and presented by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies. It won awards and nominations at several national and international film festivals.
In Paradise, Roshan Mathew and Darshana play an Indian tourist couple who visit Sri Lanka to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary at a time when the Sri Lankan declared bankruptcy. The events that follow expose their conflicts and rocky relationship and shed light on their struggles to leave the crisis-ridden island nation.
As Paradise hits the theatres (on Friday, 28 June), Roshan Mathew opens up, in a candid chat with South First, on his experiences working on the film and reveals why it is special for him.
Q. What’s Paradise for you and how would you describe it?
A. Well, it’s difficult to narrow it down to a specific thing. In several interviews, I’ve been talking about Paradise and what it stands for. So, this time, I will take this opportunity to say that it gave me the most unique shooting experience.
Paradise mostly had the Sri Lankan crew. Prasanna (Vithanage) sir is an experienced and talented filmmaker. This was my first film working with him and this is my first time in Sri Lanka. So, Paradise gave me many firsts.
There’s a constant duality since Sri Lanka is similar to Kerala in many aspects and yet, so dissimilar in terms of food, language, and current political scenario. So, it was altogether a unique experience and can be felt in the film. It’s certainly not any other movies I’ve been part of.
Roshan Mathew made heads turn with his performance in the Bollywood films ‘Choked’ and ‘Darlings’. (Instagram)
Q. You have worked with renowned directors before. How’s it working with Prasanna Vithanage, a veteran and renowned filmmaker?
A. Prasanna sir has an incredible amount of understanding of the characters he has written. He also has a clear vision. He lets his actors roam around freely, explore for themselves, and bring back what they find and out of that he picks and uses what he wants in his film.
So, it was a liberating experience working with him and the team and the cast he had put together.
Q. Tell us about the shooting process. How different was it compared to other films you were part of?
A. It was a quick and comfortable shoot. We never really had to rush against time. It wasn’t hectic, too. Nevertheless, the scenes and the time we spent in front of the camera were challenging. We wrapped the whole film within a month. We went to Sri Lanka sometime in February 2023 and we returned in the first few days of March.
Q. What, according to you, is the USP of Paradise?
A. It’s the collaboration. There’s a Sri Lankan director, an Indian cinematographer, and two Malayalees in the cast; the rest are all Sri Lankan actors.
Paradise is a story set in Sri Lanka but narrated from a global perspective. It’s also a film with minimalism at its core. Every element is part and parcel of the film and essential for the story. There is not a moment that is unwanted or could have been done without.
It’s a tight, unique film. It’s also my first venture with dialogues in four or five languages. It’s a true multilingual project. I think that also is its USP.
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Q. You have done a variety of roles in Moothon, Choked, and Darlings and even negative roles in Puthiya Niyamam, Orayiram Kinakkal, and Oru Thekkan Thallu Case. How do you evaluate your evolution as an actor?
A. Honestly, I haven’t done so much to evaluate my acting journey or my oeuvre. Every time I watch my films, what strikes me first is the things that slipped out of my control or that I have gone wrong. So, I take my notes and try and fix it the next time.
I do know I’ve evolved as an actor and have been learning. But I haven’t frankly looked back and evaluated my journey so far.
Q. You have a strong theater background. How has it helped you in feature films?
A. Everything I know comes from theater. That’s when I started working as an actor and exploring acting. All the basics I know came from the people I’ve worked with and what I’ve picked up then. That’s sort of what I draw from even now.
It’s been about eight or nine years since I came to films but the learning also is happening on one side. My foundation is definitely in theater. And I keep wanting to go back to it. When I watch a play and do a workshop, I feel the need to go back to theater.
Roshan Mathew has been in the Malayalam industry for nine years. (Instagram)
Q. As an actor, what sort of roles do you prefer?
A. I have preferences and a criterion based on which I pick projects. But I have different reasons for picking projects. It’s not like every project has to check these few boxes.
I do films for different reasons. Sometimes it’s to work with the team and sometimes it’s a particular person; sometimes, it’s a character that I was never offered before or a kind of film that I’ve never gotten a chance to do before.; it’s the story that I want to be part of.
Q. Darshana Rajendran, too, comes from theater. In fact, you both worked on Aanum Pennum (2021). How was it teaming up with her again?
A. We share a comfortable equation and also rely on that sense of comfort and familiarity while working together on a project.
Especially in a film like Paradise, the lead characters—Keshav and Amritha—have known each other for a considerable amount of time and have that sort of familiarity and are comfortable around each other. There is a lot that we can draw from what we have in life.
As an actor, I have a lot of respect for her (Darshana) and I find her work exciting. She is somebody who keeps you on your toes while working and it pushes me to give my best possible work and that’s a good thing.
Q. Recent releases like Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022), Kathal-The Core (2023), Aattam (2024), and Ullozhukku (2024) didn’t cater to mass audiences but did extremely well in theatres. How do you see this trend?
A. This gives us all a lot of hope. There should always be diversity in films. Seeing it happening only gives hope to everyone working in the industry. This is happening only because the Malayali audience is willing to watch all kinds of films and curious to experience different kinds of films, not restricted by language or genre. The bridge/boundary between art films and commercial cinema is blurring.
Many films fit in both categories and there will be more. I’m looking forward to the release of Paradise in theatres and how the audience would react to our film.
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