‘My roles are designed by the writer and the director,” says Saiju Kurup

He plays the lead in Antakshari, which will stream on SonyLIV from April 22

As a diligent house husband in Madhu Warrier’s Lalitham Sundaram, Saiju Kurup won the hearts of viewers. The Manju Warrier-starrer, streaming on Disney+Hotstar, evokes mixed reactions from audiences but Saiju’s flawless act as Sandeep comes up trumps.

Says the actor: “I am not a stranger to cleaning and cooking. In fact, during the lockdowns, I was doing all the washing up in the kitchen and a little cooking too. I was able to slip into the character without any difficulty.”

According to Saiju, Sandeep and he share many traits. Like Sandeep, Saiju dislikes confrontation and he says even an argument on the sets or a minor altercation on the road can upset him.

2022 promises to be a happening year for him. His first film of the year was Meppadiyan (January 2022). After playing the lead in Janamaithri (2019) and Upachaarapoorvam Gunda Jayan (2022), he will soon be seen playing the protagonist in Vipin Das’ Antakshari, releasing on SonyLIV. Saiju plays Circle Inspector Das in the thriller, a cop with a penchant for playing ‘Antakshari’ , a music-based game.

“It’s a psycho-thriller that also focusses on the bonding of a family. Das nabs wrong-doers for petty cases and if they can’t play the game, woe betide them! It is an interesting role and the film narrates a turning point in Das’ life,” narrates Saiju.

Since Antakshari began shooting in September 2020, just after permission was given after the first lockdown, the cast and crew had to stay in a safety bubble. When two of them came down with COVID-19, the entire team had to be quarantined. In addition, when a panchayat or area they were shooting in was declared a containment zone, they had to cool their heels and wait for restrictions to be lifted to resume work.

“There were difficulties that we had to overcome as a result of the lockdown and pandemic. Although delayed by a few days, we were able to complete the shoot,” recalls Saiju.