An actor of substance

Down south

He is one actor every director loves to have on board. Give him any role, and he will get into the soul of that character. We are talking about one of the most versatile actors of Tamil cinema, Nasser Mohammed. Nasser is identified alongside some of Indian cinema’s famous character actors like Om Puri, Mammooty, Mohanlal and Nana Patekar.

Born on March 5, 1958 in the village of Naththam in Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, Nasser did his BSc in Botany at Madras Christian College. With his experience as a drama writer and actor, he started seeking roles in films, but was not successful. He later joined the Film Institute in Chennai, in 1982-83, and received his diploma in acting. His efforts bore fruit when he was introduced in K Balachander’s film Kalyana Agathigal, and later went on to act in about 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English.
Here is an excerpt of an interview with the actor:

How did you take to acting in the first place?

My father wanted me to become an actor. He enrolled me in an acting school, but I did not take it seriously. But he was persistent. My first break as an actor was in a film for Doordarshan, directed by Senapathi. Later I shot for Balachandar sir’s Kalyana Agadhigal — a prominent film for me to exhibit my capability. But it did not do well commercially. Then came Maniratnam’s Nayagan, which showcased my potential as an actor. And the ball started rolling for me from then on.

How do you feel when you look back now about your journey to becoming one of the celebrated actors in the industry?

I don’t consider myself a celebrated actor. But I am happy because I had an academic approach to this profession. If I had believed that talent alone was enough, I might not have succeeded.

What do you feel are your landmark films and characters you played?

Acting-wise, for me, successful films have been Thevar Magan, Nayagan, Thalaivasal, Emden Magan, Kuruthipunal and Magalir Mattum, as also filmmaker Shankar’s Jeans, where I essayed a challenging double role.

Tell us about your experience in acting in a historical and grand scale film like Bahubali.
Oh, it was a different experience. It was a very big canvas and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One rarely gets a chance to be part of a good historical film produced in a massive scale.

You have had a long association with Kamal. How do you describe your relationship with him?

Kamal is a thorough professional. Our first film together was Nayagan, then came Apoorva Sahodargal, Thevar Magan, Kuruthipunal and so on. It is always nice to be in a Kamal film. He is more organised in his production. He sets a platform where an actor can be comfortable.

What are the significant roles you have on hand in your coming films?

Solar Eclipse, directed by Algerian Kareem Gardia, is one of the films I’m currently working on. I am also doing Right Right in Telugu. And I have just finished Kabali with Rajinikanth, where I play his godfather. There are about 5 films on the floor right now. I have also taken up actor Ram Charan Teja’s remake of Thani Ouvan in Telugu.