Prithviraj Sukumaran

reference nSo, here’s a little slice of Malayalam cinema history not everyone knows. Fazil, the legendary director, basically scouted this guy and convinced him to give acting a shot. The man wasn’t even planning on jumping into movies, but Fazil saw something special, pushed him to do a screen test, and then—get this—personally took those results over to Ranjith. Now, Ranjith wasn’t just any director, he was the one calling the shots for ‘Nandanam,’ which, if you grew up watching Malayalam films, you know is pretty iconic. This whole domino effect? Yeah, it launched a career that went on to define a generation of actors. Without Fazil’s eye for talent and a little bit of persistence, we might never have seen that breakout performance in ‘Nandanam’ at all. Just goes to show, sometimes all it takes is one person believing in you to change everything.

Honestly, I never really bonded much with other actors in the film world. It’s just how it was—no drama or anything, just different vibes. The directors, though, that’s a whole other story. I clicked with them instantly. They’re like mentors, you know? You spend so much time together on set, hashing out scenes, tossing ideas back and forth. It’s natural to get close. And I’m not even the only one who feels this way. Loads of actors will tell you the same thing: you end up way tighter with directors than with your co-stars. Maybe it’s because directors see the bigger picture, or maybe because they’re the ones guiding you through every emotional twist. Whatever it is, those relationships just stick. Co-stars come and go, but a good director? That connection lasts way beyond the last take.