On the day Jailer 2 opened, Kottayam Nazeer wrote a short note about what it meant to act alongside Rajinikanth. It traces a line from a thatched cinema in his hometown to a photo with the star on the film's set. Nazeer shared the note in film groups on social media.
From the gravel floor to the set
Nazeer opens with the words "Oru kadha sollattuma" (shall I tell a story?). Years ago, he writes, he watched Rajinikanth from the gravel-strewn floor of Modern, a thatched cinema hall in Karukachal. Later, when he worked as a painter, he drew the "Style Mannan" on wall after wall. When he moved into mimicry, he copied those mannerisms on stage after stage.
Now he has a role in a Rajinikanth film. When they met on set, he writes, Rajinikanth put an arm around his shoulder and posed for a photo, and he could not tell whether it was a dream or real. He thanks God, his parents, his teachers and his audience, and signs off with a line that God's own screenplay is quite something.
Ameer, and a film full of Malayalis
Nazeer plays Ameer in Jailer 2, one of several Malayali actors in Nelson Dilipkumar's sequel. Mohanlal returns as Mathew, Suraj Venjaramoodu plays the villain, and Hakim Shahjahan, Shamna Kasim and Rajesh Madhavan also appear.
The role has landed with critics too. In our Jailer 2 critics' roundup, Nazeer stood out. One reviewer counted it among his career-best work, and another called him "brilliant" as Ameer.
His note is one of several personal stories from the film's Malayali contingent this week. Mimicry artist Joby Kodakara shared his own Jailer 2 set memories the same day. For Nazeer, a mimicry artist himself, the line from copying Rajinikanth on stage to sharing a frame with him is a full circle.
