Second time lucky

Down south

It is not often that an actor who takes a sabbatical from cinema finds favour with audiences and filmmakers on his return to the arc lights.

An exception to this rule is the one-time favourite Malayalam actor, Kunchako Boban, whose second coming after three long years has been one long honeymoon with a number of exciting offers falling into his lap. A scion of one of Malayalam cinema’s first families, Kunchako Boban is the grandson of the famous producer Kunchako and grand-nephew of producer Appachan who made the first 3D film My Dear Kuttichathan. 

A slow start

Boban had a dream debut in 1997 with director Fazil’s Aniyathipravu, a teenage love story that had a phenomenal run at the box-office. In the wake of its success, a few more films came his way including Niram, Dosth, Swapnakoodu, Narendra Makan Jayakanthan Vaka and Kasturimaan, but these films, with the exception of Niram, did not exactly hit the mark. 

A good number of films like Mazhavillu, Chandamama, Prem Pujari and Ingane Oru Nilapakshi also failed to boost his career prospects in any way. One film that attracted audience attention was Priyam, a remake of the Bollywood hit Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, in which he reprised the role played by Aamir Khan in the original. A noteworthy performance in the film Ee Snehatheerathu netted him a coveted state award. His image as a romantic hero, however, did not suffer despite his reverses, as his handsome, boyish looks endeared him to the younger lot.

Post marriage in 2005, Kunchako Boban took a longish break and did just one film Kilukkam Kilukilukkam, a rollicking comedy, in three years. He announced his return to the big screen with a guest appearance in the action caper Twenty 20, a film which had the distinction of featuring almost all actors and actresses in Malayalam cinema, a unique experiment in the annals of Indian cinema.

 However, full-fledged roles came to him in films like Lollipop, Golumaal, Elsamma Enna Aankutty, Traffic, Seniors, Ordinary and Romans. In a couple of films, Spanish Masala with Dileep in the lead and Seniors, the actor tried his hand at villainy. His films including the Lal Jose-directed Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum and Polytechnic had a fair run at the box-office. 

The Boban-Biju Menon combination meanwhile has been going great guns with films like Three Dots, Ordinary and Romans. Unlike other actors who crave for intense roles with a surfeit of emotional content where they could display their histrionic prowess, Boban has always preferred light, frothy roles with a bit of comedy thrown in where he could waltz through with ease and also manage to catch the eye. 

Playing second fiddle

He has also not shied away from films where the spotlight is not always on him and this explains his signing films like the recent Roshan Andrews-directed How Old Are You?, the comeback vehicle for a top heroine of yesteryear, Manju Warrier.

Boban, who played her supportive husband in the film, had few frames for himself, but with the film turning out to be a superhit, he too could reap some benefit in the form of fresh assignments. His latest release, Bhaiya Bhaiya, a comic caper with Biju Menon, directed by Johnny Antony, has received mixed reviews.

Boban has a number of films lined up, including Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal, Cousins and Male Nurse. Director Sugeeth, the man behind the Boban-Biju pairing, has also signed the duo for his next venture, but one of his ambitious films, Ithu Thanda Police, has been reportedly kept in abeyance for the time being.

 Boban has never been talked of in the same breath as the megastars of Malayalam cinema like Mammootty, Mohanlal or Dileep, and with his choice of roles, the actor might never enter the big league.

 Nonetheless, he remains comfortable in his own space and has been able to gain recognition as an actor who can regale audiences of all ages with his portrayals of varied roles. His pleasing personality and his unexaggerated acting style have turned him into an endearing performer.