Abhimanyu Thilakan says, right now, his life can be split into two parts – before Marco and after Marco – referring to his acting debut in the blockbuster Unni Mukundan-starrer, Marco. As the ruthless Russell, one of the bad guys, Abhimanyu makes one’s skin crawl.
He says that all it took was one Friday to completely change his life.
If he was able to do that to the audience, he says, his job is done and there is no bigger payoff for him as an actor. “Listening to the reaction of people, the hatred they felt for the character meant that I had done my job well,” says Abhimanyu over the phone from Kollam. The love is a kind of carrying forward of the love the audience feels for his father and grandfather, he feels.
The grandson of thespian Thilakan and actor Shammi Thilakan’s son, Abhimanyu says though there was no Eureka moment when he decided he would be an actor, he knew that was the path he wanted to take. “I grew up watching my grandfather and father act and movies were a part of our lives. I also wanted to be part of what they were doing…so, wanting to act and be part of cinema was always on mind.”
When Abhimanyu shared his acting dream with his father, he was told to find his own way rather than ‘nepo’ his way into cinema. “Neither did I want to ask anybody for a chance or want someone to ‘recommend’ me though I know people in the industry. I also wanted the film I do to make a good first impression.”
Abhimanyu Thilakan
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Ironically it was a photoshopped photograph with his father and grandfather that went viral in 2021 which was instrumental in him landing the movie. Initially very few people made the connection, however his voice or rather its similarity with his grandfather’s and father’s was a hint. Rather, it made people wonder if there was a connection. Abhimanyu laughs, “Yes, I have been told that I have the family trademark voice!”
The 31-year-old mechanical engineer took his time, waiting for the right opportunity to take his first steps in the film industry. Despite the offers coming his way, he chose to wait for the film that would be worth the time taken and he is happy he picked Marco.
“It was one of those things… it was not even me in the original photograph. It was my mother, I was photoshopped into it making it a three-generations thing. Among the people who saw the photograph went to be the casting director of Marco. I guessed he had that photograph in mind when they were casting Marco and suggested my name to Unniettan (Unni Mukundan). He called, we had a chat and here I was making my first movie. I am glad I waited!”
Preparing for the role, he says, was hard since he had to work on his body. “Unniettan is one of the fittest actors in the industry, and to keep up with him is not easy. I was going to the gym twice daily, and was on a zero-carb high protein diet…it was not easy. That was the biggest challenge, at times it got mentally frustrating.”
Abhimanyu Thilakan
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
While the rest of the team watched the film in Kochi, Abhimanyu watched it in Kollam with his parents. “Each time I saw myself, I cringed and felt that I could have done better. But the applause from the audience when Marco killed Russel meant they detested my character enough.” The screening was followed by an announcement at the movie hall that he had come to watch the film. “It was overwhelming for someone like me who has stage fright. I am getting better,” he says laughing.
What did his parents, especially his father, say afterwards? “My mother was anxious throughout the film about how I had done that she did not pay attention to it. She will be watching it again. My father…his body language showed that he was happy as a father. That said, since he is an actor, he would obviously see my work from that angle.”
The offers have been coming post-Marco, but Abhimanyu is in no hurry. “The offers are coming in, but like I said, I don’t want to do just any other film that comes my way. It has to offer me something more!”
Published – January 03, 2025 11:46 am IST
Malayalam cinema
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cinema
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The Hindu MetroPlus
