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APRIL 6, 20118ACTION

FIRST TAKE>

Jyothi Varma

Yes, this week, we get acquaintedwith Salim Kumar, the gifted actorwho combines imaginative wit with

rapid fire punch lines.It must have been daunting for an as-

pirant comedian to walk into territory thatwas dominated by the likes of Jagathy

Sreekumar and Innocent with theirunique styles of humour and hope tosucceed. But, Salim Kumar did justthat with resounding success and istoday an accomplished comedian

with an expanding fan base.This actor, who debuted in Ishtamaanu

Nooruvattom and has acted in over 200films, brings to the screen a distinct brandof humour that rides more on witty one-lin-ers than histrionics to bring out the laughs.

The rapid fire volleys of his punch lines

mean that if you are not attentiveenough in the theatres you risk

missing a trick or two.The world cer-

tainly can become a crazy placeand incredibly funny too withSalim Kumar and gang.

Take the cow disguise scenealong with Dileep in Thenkasi-pattinam that is considereda classic, or the MELCOWepisode in Kalyanaraman.Who else could have hit onthe idea that smoking canna-bis instead of wastingtime at the prima-ry school wouldhave improvedproficiency inthe English lan-guage (Thil-akkam with

Dileep)? If the

r o l eof Tabla

Bhaskaranin Kamals G r a m o -phone istragic-com-ic, the hu-

mour is off-

beat in SalimKumars por-

trayal of a madman in costumes

of Superman andSpiderman in CID

Moosa (Dileep again). The acting field is like a running

track where whoever comes first is thewinner. Such is the competition in thecomedy space, he says.

Salim Kumar was the best mimic forthree consecutive years in the Maham-ta Gandhi University youth festivals.As a budding mimicry talent who usedto mime Jagadeesh, Asokan and politi-cian K R Gouriyamma, Salim Kumar laterturned out as a presenter on television(the comedy shows Comicola and Cin-emala in Asianet).

On his debut in Ishtamanu Nooruvat-tom, Salim Kumar says that after watch-

ing it on screen he sincerelybelieved that it would behis last movie. Apparently,

some of best buddies tooshared that opinion.

It was perhapsThenkasipattinamthat changed the coursefor Salim Kumar. He tooagrees that it was this

movie that earned him recognitionand cast him firmly in the comedymould.

On how much of the humouris improvised on the sets, SalimKumar says: There is scope forimprovisation only if the script is

good. You cannot create anything

from nullity. Salim Kumar alsofeels that a film will not be a hit ifonly one or two scenes are funny.

Timing is absolutely important.It is all the more so for a comedi-

an, says Salim Kumar. He even adds aphilosophical dimension to say that timingis the most important thing in real life.

Having shared that deep musing on life,he adds that he is not one to take life tooseriously; in fact he would rather celebratelife. Well, he is the only comedian to live in

Laughter Villa, the name he has given tohis North Parur house in Ernakulam.

Salim Kumar performed a much-ac-

claimed serious role in the Lal Jose filmAchan Urangaatha Veedu which is basedon the true-life incident of a girl seriallysubjected to sexual exploitation. The roleof Samuel the father of the victim was atotally new experience and pretty heavytoo, he says. Though the performance waswell appreciated, Salim Kumar recalls thatone critic alluded to him as an actor whowas handling third-rate comedies.

Salim Kumar is approaching a defin-ing point in his acting career in the film

Adaminte Makan Abu (directed by SalimAhmed) where he plays a serious role witha lot of acting potential.

He is highly impressed with the youth oftoday. Todays generation is very smartand has a lot of knowledge but knowledgedoes not mean wisdom, he says.

Be clear about what you want to be, ishis parting shot.

n

MELCOWMELCOW folks. Now, wasnt that a dead give-away?

to Laughter Villa