Sumanth: I am drawn to flawed, realistic characters

A couple parts ways. It becomes a topic of conversation in family and social circles. If that was not enough, the male protagonist finds himself falling in love with the divorce lawyer. The promos of the Telugu film Malli Modalaindi (It Begins Again) hint at a romantic comedy and family drama rolled into one. What adds curiosity to this story of life after divorce is its lead actor Sumanth, who has chosen to remain single since his divorce more than a decade ago. With self-deprecating humour, the actor admits that he could relate to certain aspects of his on-screen character.

Excerpts from a conversation with Sumanth, ahead of the film’s release on Zee5 on February 11:

What was your reaction when the story was narrated to you? Did some portions feel personal?

Director Keerthi Kumar got in touch with me through music director Simon K King, when Kapatadhaari was in the final stages. He e-mailed the synopsis; the topic of divorce in the story immediately caught my attention and I asked him for the script. I liked the tone of his writing and found my character to be relatable.

Divorce is not easy for the couples or their families but the idea is no longer a taboo. Does the film reflect what is happening in society?

I was surprised that nobody made a film on divorce in recent times, not only in Telugu but even in Hindi cinema. Several other topics that were considered taboo in mainstream cinema are no longer risky, thanks to some of the films starring Ayushmann Khurrana (Sumanth starred in Naruda Donoruda, the Telugu remake of Vicky Donor), but surprisingly there hasn’t been a story on divorce. Only recently we had Decoupled on Netflix. I am told that ever since Zee5 picked up our film, it has generated interest in Hindi for a remake. A story on divorce can be told seriously or in a lighter vein; we chose the latter so that it is more palatable.

Did any of your personal experiences subconsciously come in handy for this film?

I play a flawed character; he is self-deprecating and has no trouble talking about his deficiencies. I could relate to that. I improvised on some dialogues and with Keerthi Kumar, it was like a partnership in writing. In fact, I like playing flawed and realistic characters that have scope for redemption. I believe that all protagonists need not be ideal. Very few characters tend to be autobiographical, at least in some portions, and this is one such opportunity for me.

A story like this also has the scope to be a social commentary. Does it leverage that?

We did not get too deep into making a social commentary but there is a lot of subtexts. We also broke cliches. We released a promo showing the husband and the wife arriving together at the divorce court and he opened the door for her, to the shock of the lawyers. It shows that a couple can part ways with mutual respect and need not be warring all the time, which I really liked.

Actor Sumanth in Malli Modalaindi co-starring Naina Ganguly
 
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT