New Delhi: The new gamut of young talent in Malayalam cinema comes without any baggage, except maybe the imposing career graph put forward by their predecessors — Mammootty and Mohanlal. They are picky about their roles, have an almost cocky sense of self-confidence, aren't too much in awe of their seniors and love experimenting.
Though actor Prithviraj likes to take credit for heralding the so-called 'youth movement' in Mollywood, which in effect started with Kunchako Boban in 1997, young star Asif Ali has already made a significant place for himself in the industry. That his ascent took place in a span of three years is testimony to the young man's talent.
Here is the pick of the lot:
'Ritu' (2009): Sunny Immaty is an ambitious, sly wolf with a burning ambition to make money. For Ali, it was nothing short of a challenge to essay Immaty in his debut film directed by Shyamaprasad but he was easily the man to watch out for. Later, he played a small but significant part in Sathyan Anthikad's 'Kadha Thudarunnu'.
Says Shyamaprasad, "From the beginning, Asif had exuded smartness, confidence, and a certain kind of charm. I encouraged him to build the character around his natural traits. He did a good job for a newcomer."
'Traffic' (2010): It was no cakewalk to make one's presence felt in a film that starred so many good actors, where the edgily narrated screenplay is the real 'hero'. Never mind, Ali's Rajeev sailed through and struck a chord as the distraught friend of Raihaan (Vineeth Sreenivasan) in this Rajesh Pillai film, one of the biggest of his career.
'Salt N' Pepper' (2011): One of the best roles till date, Ali's lover-boy act in this Aashiq Abu-starrer was a laugh riot. He played the smooth-talking Manu with spontaneity and looked the perfect 'Archie' in this romcom. It was also one of the surprise hits last year. Says Shwetha Menon, his costar in the film, "He has an inborn talent. When he has a line to say, he slips into his character effortlessly."
In 2011, he also starred in 'Ithu Nammude Katha' and 'Violin', with the latter being his first solo act that failed to click. Says Priyadarshan: "Asif should be careful about the projects he chooses." Asif also did a few cameos in 'Dr Love' and 'Indian Rupee' and the big multi-starrer, 'Sevens'.
Though his New Year release, 'Asuravithu', did not strike gold at the box office, it is his big time solo hero film where he has managed to shrug off his usual image. But Ali has a jam-packed schedule this year, with four films in the making and few more 'announced'.
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