A big moment

It was 1.30 in the afternoon on September 9 and Malayalam actor Salim Kumar looked set to miss his Onam lunch. I was just wondering where I can get the lunch in this city, he said,sitting by the pool of the Park Hotel. He may have had to give the traditional Onam sadya a miss,but Kumar was guaranteed one of the best Onams of his life. Later in the day,the man who began his stage career as a mimicry artiste would receive the National Award for Best Actor from the President of India. With Kumars achievement comes the crowning glory for the art of mimicry that has steadily supplied artistes to the Malayalam film industry. Kalabhavan Mani was hotly tipped to win the Best Actor award for Vasantiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum in 2000,and ended up winning the Special Jury Award. Jayaram,the biggest star in Malayalam with a background in mimicry,was awarded the Padma Shri in 2011.

Salim Kumar won the 58th National Film Awards for his role in Adaminte Makan Abu (Abu,Son of Adam),directed by débutant Salim Ahamed. Kumar portrayed Abu,an elderly perfume-seller whose last wish is to go on Haj with his wife. The movie captures Abus attempts to collect the money required to complete his pilgrimage,and also collected the Best Film,Best Cinematography and Best Music Direction awards. Kumar shared the acting honours with Tamil actor Dhanush,who won for his performance in Aadukalam. Its not the first acting accolade for Kumar,though he is better known for the 100-odd movies in which his only brief was to make people laugh. His acting in the Malayalam film Kerala Cafe had won him praise,while the portrayal of the father of a sex racket victim in Achanuragantha Veedu got him a Kerala State Film Award. There was someone who came even before Lal Jose (the director of Achanuragantha Veedu),(director) Kamal sir. He was the one who gave me a role detached from comedy. I do not know why they offered these roles to me.You have to ask them, Kumar says,laughing. However,says Kumar,he was apprehensive when Ahamed approached him. I liked the script,but there is something called marketability,and I felt that if a star did the movie,the director could sell it. But he had made up his mind. He was not trying to sell the movie; he wanted a good cast. I could not refuse a young man who was so strong willed. Eventually Kumar didnt take any money for doing Abu and distributed the film himself through his newly formed Laughing Villa company after there were no takers for it. He even retained the box of coins in which his character collects money for his Haj. He says he is the same person,a directors actor,willing to do his best with the characters given to him. Can journalists hope for a tsunami everyday so that they can write about it? Such things dont happen everyday. So I like the things that happen everyday.