‘Adaptability is key to survival’

Tiny Tom juggles mimicry shows, television and cinema with elan. The actor is now pushing the envelope by acting as a transgender in his debut movie in Tamil, Operation Arapaima. He is also turning a script writer for a film based on Ashraf Thamarassery, an expat in the UAE who repatriates dead bodies. In an interview with Friday Review, Tiny talks about his new projects and his career.

Tiny Tom with Ashraf Thamarassery   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Tiny decided to tell Ashraf’s story because of the magnanimity of his work. “Now every one knows Ashraf since he helped in repatriating the body of actor Sridevi from Dubai to India. I have been following his work and tried to meet him many times. Last month, I met him in Dubai for a function. I moved around with him and was with him when he helped to send three bodies to India,” Tiny says.

Tiny points out that repatriation is a long-drawn-out process, irrespective of the financial condition of the deceased. “In the last 18 years, over 4,500 bodies from all nationalities have been repatriated with Ashraf’s help. He doesn’t take any money for his work,” he adds.

Not a biopic

He stresses that the movie is not a biopic. “Scriptwriter late T.A. Razzaq was working on a movie on Ashraf when he passed away. Cinema is a people’s art and there is no better way to tell the story of this man who is still unknown to so many people,” says Tiny.

He is writing the script with Satheesh, a groomer in Comedy Utsavam on Flowers TV. He adds that the movie would be more of a satire, as it throws light on several other expats toiling hard for their families in India.

While it was widely reported that Mammootty would essay the role, Tiny refutes it saying that he had only expressed his wish to cast him as Ashraf.

“When I told him about the script, his advice was that it shouldn’t be like a documentary. I have identified a director, but it is too early to talk more about the project,” he says.

Tiny says that it is not his first attempt at writing a script. “I enjoyed being part of scripting sessions of many movies. Vellimoonga was one movie where I gave my inputs. I like to explore myself as an artiste. I like observing people around because of my mimicry background and enjoy weaving stories around them. Also, I try to find humour in whatever situation I am in,” he says. His book, Enneyum Cinemayileduthu, is a compilation of many instances from his life.

Challenging role

Moving to his debut in Tamil film industry, he says that taking up the role of a transgender was also part of testing new waters.

Tiny Tom as the transgender character Rony in the Tamil film, Operation Arapaima   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

The movie, directed by debutant Prash, has Tiny playing Rony, a channel head and a drug don. He is pitted against Rahman’s character, an ex-Navy officer.

“Since the Tamil audience haven’t seen me before, I believe I can bring in a certain freshness on screen. The makeover was quite tough – no beard, no moustache, threading, wearing ear studs, nail polish… The movie is being shot in different schedules and so I have to be always ready to shave off my facial hair for the shoot!” While his new movie Kuttanadan Marpappa is in theatres, forthcoming films are Panchavarnathatha, Chalakudykaran Changathi and Johny Johny Yes Papa.

Tiny reiterates that he still does stage shows because that helps him to gauge the pulse of the audience. “I have limitations and the stage shows help me know where I stand. I feel lucky that I belong to the early crop of mimicry artistes because I can’t imagine being pitted against the new talents, having seen so many of them in Comedy Utsavam. They imitate voices so well that some of them have already dubbed for actors such as Vinayakan and Soubin Shahir in films! Adaptability is the key to survival for an artiste and so I am doing the same, both in mimicry and movies…,” he avers.