Role well-played

KOCHI: For Palakkad native Suseel S, the title winner of Malayali Star Heist 2020, a global online acting competition, winning is more than a plan. “For someone with little background in solo performances or any artistic competitions, this is a great win,” says the final year acting graduate student at K R Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts, Kottayam. The competition was conducted by Team Gladiators Canada, a Canadian Malayali Association of art lovers.

Suseel competed against 300 contestants, all Malayalis from across the globe. The judging panel comprised actor Ajay Kumar aka Guinness Pakru, director and actor Abhiram Suresh Unnithan and director Ganesh Raj. 

“I came to know about the event in April. Our classes were halted due to the lockdown, so I thought why not give this a try. Post the selection round, we were given several rounds that explored our acting skills,” says Suseel.

Suseel shares the credit of his victory with his friends. “They were always with me on every step, shooting videos, mixing music and arranging props for my rounds,” he says. The competition fetched him a cash prize of Rs 30,000. According to Suseel, he tried to bring in the aspect of everyday man’s life and that acted as a catalyst to his win.

 “In every round, I tried to incorporate real-life instances that I came across or that my friends faced. The performance that I did in the final round on Navarasa was the plight of an auto driver who finds ways to repair his auto and reach a passenger on time,” says Susheel.