Waiting for worthwhile roles
S.R.ASHOK KUMAR
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He was a popular villain-turned action hero in Malayalam movies. Now Babu Antony is planning a comeback.
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Versatile: Babu Antony
It is difficult to forget the well-built six-footer, who made his appearance in ‘Poovizhi Vasalile.’ This popular villain is making a comeback after a short break. He has not only worked in Hindi but also in all South Indian language films. He was recently in Chennai for a make-up test. In a hotel room (Kodambakkam), Babu Antony talks about his work life.
Excerpts:
What were you doing before joining films?
I was basically an athlete and knew martial arts. I was the captain of Pune University Athletic and Volleyball teams. While studying for MBA in Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, I happened to visit the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), which was just five-minute walk.
Soon, FTII became my second home. I watched all world classic movies and interacted with students doing their diploma. After MBA, I decided to take a break for a year and try my luck in films even as my parents hoped that I would try for IAS or IPS instead.
How did you get into films?
I met Director Bharathan in Chennai and he gave me a role in his film ‘Chillampu.’ Director Fazil saw my photos in a film magazine and took me in the Malayalam movie, ‘Poovinu Puthiya Poothennal.’
Later the same movie was remade in Tamil as ‘Poovizhi Vasalile,’ which turned out to be a hit, and was made in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. I repeated my role in all the remakes and became the most sought-after villain. Which f
ilm showcased your talent and made you famous?
Although ‘Poovizhi Vasalile’ was a hit, it was ‘Vaisali’ which revealed my versatility. I did all the stunts myself.
The audience appreciated that and I became an action hero in Malayalam movies. Naturally I cut down on the villain roles.
I started off as a villain but turned hero in Malayalam films. I made a number of Malayalam movies as a hero and all of them did very well. I married an American and began to travel. Travelling and the fact that I became selective in choosing roles led to decreasing movie offers. I have always believed in quality and not quantity. So even when I got offers from the Tamil film industry, I only selected a few including ‘Attagasam,’ directed by Saran.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
I am waiting for roles depicting deep and strong characters. My greatest strength is that I am a combination of a sportsman and artist. The sportman spirit makes me not only competitive and fair but martial arts gives the edge to my performance.
I don’t believe that an actor has to do 10 movies a year to remain in business. An actor loses his job only when he dies or quits acting.
Good and sensible filmmakers know this and they will continue to make movies with those who are talented. I am doing my Masters in English literature, which has given an insight into selecting good stories and script. I am quite optimistic that worthwhile roles will come my way.
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