There is no missing the smile in Indrans’ voice as he talks about his role as Mattancherry Sukumaran in the blockbuster Suriya-starrer Karuppu. “Tamil is a language I have immense respect for. The same goes for the films and the industry. I have worked in Chennai during my costume designer days. However, I didn’t stay for too long. I returned home, to Kerala!” he says, referring to his first major role in a Tamil film.

Karuppu, directed by RJ Balaji,was a leap of faith for the actor, who has stuck to Malayalam films. He confesses to his many apprehensions about working in a film in Tamil, a language, he says, he was not sure he could do a film in. 

“I simply did not have the courage.” As he demurred, Balaji convinced him. 

“There was language problem, in my mind, which has held me back from Tamil movies all these years; then there were date issues as well for this film. But Balaji was persistent. He told me that he had written the role with me in mind. That it was not a Tamilian character but a Malayali, a Malayalam-speaking person. That put my mind at ease. Another key factor was that I had watched Balaji’s other films, and I liked them.” 

That Balaji telling him not to worry about the language, to speak the Tamil he could and was comfortable in, meant a lot to him is evident from the way Indrans talks about it. “I was also worried about the performance because we have heard that the tempo is higher in Tamil films. There was nothing like that. Balaji told me to keep it simple, and present the character as I normally would.” 

Indrans as the hapless Mattancherry Sukumaran trapped in a legal case and how the lawyers engaged by him bleed him financially dry is heartbreaking. Anagha Ravi is his daughter Binu Sukumaran. 

His portrayal has come in for praise. “I feel as heavy or light as a sheet of paper…floating high in the air with all the praise coming my way,” he says, a tad bashfully. “I have not watched the film yet since I have been on the sets of Kaalante Thangakudam. I plan to catch up on the film over the next couple of days, hopefully.” 

Then comes the inevitable question, the experience of acting with Suriya. Indrans confesses it was his first time meeting the actor, who has a devoted, committed fan following in Kerala. 

“Of course I was apprehensive about meeting him, seeing him up close. I was excited and anxious about it; being in the combination scenes with him. But when I finally met him, he was so nice to talk to and down-to-earth. He had no airs about him, he came and spoke to me. It was all very jolly! Even Balaji made everything comfortable for me. There was no pressure or stress on the sets. Suriya was patient even in our combination scenes…he was like how he would be with a newcomer. Because in a sense I was one, in Tamil cinema.” 

His first shot was the court scene, when Sukumaran and Binu land up at the court. “One of the first people I saw there was Arun Venjaramoodu, the production designer from Kerala, who went independent with the Malayalam film Alamara. Then there were so many Malayalis on the set, like Unnimaya, Ssivada, and Swasika, apart from Anagha.” 

Although Karuppu is not his first Tamil film, it is his first with a considerable role. “I have been part of some Tamil films. Like Nanban in which I had a small role, which I did because of my greed — I wanted to be in a film by Shankar sir.” 

Indrans’ next Tamil project is Rajkumar Periasamy’s unnamed film, which has Mammootty and Dhanush. He says one of the reasons he took on the project was Mammootty told  him it was a good one. “I have been getting offers in Tamil but I could not accept them because of my commitments here. I, obviously, cannot abandon Malayalam movies!” says actor as he signs off.

Karuppu is playing in theatres