Suresh Gopi

referencennSo, get this—his very first time on the big screen? Way back in 1965, as just a kid, he showed up in “Odeyil Ninnu.” Not exactly your average debut. The film itself is actually a classic in Malayalam cinema, and having a child actor in a major role was kind of a big deal back then. The movie dives into some pretty heavy themes—poverty, family, the whole struggle-for-survival thing. He played the son of the main character, which meant a lot of emotional scenes and honestly, not much sugarcoating. For a first movie, that’s jumping straight into the deep end. People still talk about how natural he was, which almost sounds annoying if you’re another kid actor trying to make it. But hey, some folks are just born for the spotlight. This first role basically set the tone for what would become a seriously legendary career.

Look, I wasn’t even that into films until college. Then, boom, Kamal Haasan happened. I went down a wormhole of his movies—seriously, his ability to just flip between roles is nuts. One minute he’s making you crack up, next he’s dragging you through some heavy stuff and you’re just sitting there, glued to the screen. His films aren’t just about the drama or the action either, there’s always this undercurrent of something bigger—some social jab, some idea that sticks in your head way after the credits roll. It got me totally hooked. If you’ve ever watched “Nayakan” or “Anbe Sivam,” you know what I’m talking about. There’s this raw honesty to his characters—flawed, complicated, real. That’s what got me obsessed. Movies stopped being just entertainment and started feeling like a whole world to get lost in. Kamal really changed the game for me.