Bejoy Nambiar on 'exploring and rediscovering actors' through his works

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar does not like to repeat actors unless the script demands it, but he sure seems to have a special liking for the work of Malayalam star Dulquer Salmaan.

The actor-director duo had collaborated on the 2017 anthology film, "Solo".

"It is always the story and what the character demands for me, and casting happens accordingly. I do not write anything keeping one actor in mind. I write a story that has several characters and then I look for actors who fit the characters. But I love Dulquer, he is such a delight to work with and any director would love to work with him, I for sure. I loved working with him in 'Solo' and our actor-director equation is successful. But just because of that I cannot repeat him, I have to give him a character that justifies his talent. I mean I want to explore his talent, not exploit it," Bejoy told IANS.

"I also love finding new talents or rediscovering actors in very different avatars," he added.

Bejoy gave an example from his new project "Taish", which released recently. "There is a character called 'Sattu' and it was a challenging part for any actor. When we were going through casting, I met Ekansh Kumar Sharma (who played the role) just once, and honestly, now I can talk about it, I was not sure if he would pull it off," he said.

However, Ekansh justified his selection. "From day one, the way he performed Sattu, a mentally challenged boy, on a wheelchair, I was blown away!" shared the filmmaker.

On the other hand, Kunickaa Sadanand, a veteran actress, had to give a look test for her small but important role.

"When I offered the role, I asked her for a look test. She had to wear the turban. She put on the get up, wore the turban and when she appeared before me, I found my 'Beeji'. So, exploring and rediscovering actors is one of the interesting processes for me as a film director."