I Wish To Do Only Comedies Next Year: Sharaf U Dheen

Sharaf U Dheen, who is gearing up for the release of the romantic drama Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn, tells us that doing films without long gaps has helped him. Including Priyan Ottathilanu and Rorschach, Sharaf U Dheen has featured in nine releases just last year. The actor explains that while not all the films turned out to be good, doing many such films helped him explore different trajectories. 

He says, “I realised that the more films I do, the more people will come to tell stories. But the same will not happen if I keep filtering films and do fewer ones. For instance, after receiving appreciation for my role in Varathan (2018), I thought it would help me get new characters and waited. However, I didn’t get new roles and most of my other roles did not work. After that, I was able to do Anjaam Pathiraa (2019) but then Covid happened. So, now, I believe that doing films continuously is working out for me”

The actor has been listening to a lot of scripts, about 2-3 every week. And he has observed that the stories that are narrated to him after a film’s release, tend to have similarities. “After Varathan, the stories that came my way had rape scenes and after Aarkkariyam (2021), the stories were female and family-oriented ones.” But Sharaf U Dheen strives to move away from his comfort zone and do something different. “After Priyan Ottathilanu, people brought all the kindness in Kerala to me. But right now, I really want to do comedy. I wish to do only comedy films next year.” 

Known for his versatility, his wish to do more comedic roles stems from the fact that he hasn’t done a full-fledged comedy role for a while now. “There are so many fans for Girirajan Kozhi (from Premam) and Happy Wedding and audiences expect me to do comedy roles. So I cannot say that I will only do mature acting now and will not do comedy. I would love to do films that everyone will enjoy.”

As someone who is juggling multiple projects, the actor opines that every film eventually finds its audience. “I did 1744 White Alto with Senna Hegde (Director) last year and the film did not work in the theatre. But it was selected for the Rotterdam Film Festival. Many films that were not appreciated earlier are being celebrated now. So, a film might work in one place but not fare well in another."

Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn, co-starring Bhavana, is slated to hit the screens on February 24.