Veteran Malayalam actor Indrans has spoken openly about a hurdle that shadowed much of his early career: several mainstream actresses turned down the chance to play his romantic lead because of his appearance and his long run of slapstick comedy roles.
The National Award winner made the remarks at a trailer launch and press meet in Chennai on June 15, ahead of the release of his bilingual romantic drama Chinna Chinna Aasai, which reaches theatres on Friday, June 19. The film is the debut feature of writer-director Varsha Vasudev and pairs Indrans with actor Madhoo Shah, best known for Mani Ratnam’s Roja (1992).
Indrans admitted he was nervous when the team first brought him the script. He said he even asked the casting coordinators to keep his name from Madhoo during early talks, worried that once she learned her leading man was a comedian from the Malayalam industry, she would walk away from the project.
The co-star who said yes
Those fears didn’t materialise. Madhoo read the script, loved it and signed on under the banner Babuji Productions. For Indrans, the pairing carried a personal echo. He recalled that back in the late 1980s, when he was a tailor edging into small acting roles, he quietly dreamed of one day sharing the screen with Hema Malini. That never happened — but working with Madhoo, who belongs to the same family, felt like a version of that wish coming true.
He pointed out that while his thin frame and distinctive voice haven’t changed in forty years, the industry around him has. Today’s writers and independent filmmakers, he said, care more about emotional depth than conventional star looks — a shift he credits for letting him grow from a comedy sidekick into a leading character actor.
What the film is about
The first-look poster for Chinna Chinna Aasai was unveiled by Mani Ratnam — a fitting touch, given Madhoo made her debut in his Roja. The trailer sets up a slow, quiet story about companionship and aging. Madhoo plays a middle-aged woman who travels to the ghats of Varanasi on a spiritual journey and gets separated from her group in the old city’s narrow lanes. There she meets a long-settled Malayali resident, played by Indrans, and the two form a bond that sits somewhere beyond conventional romance.
The supporting cast includes National Award winner Aparna Balamurali, Jaffer Sadiq, Vishnu Agasthya, Thambi Ramaiah and Kaali Venkat. The film has music by Govind Vasantha and cinematography by Faiz Siddik. It follows Indrans’ recent run of acclaimed work, including Home (2021) and a memorable turn in Suriya’s Karuppu.
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