Why I like... Nayakan

Actor Narain

It was for purely personal reasons that I first watched it in the Eighties. I am an ardent Kamal fan and this is the film that aroused in me the desire to be an actor. Later on, after watching it many times, I realised how well made it was. Recently, it was screened on TV and I felt that I could still watch it. The team was great — one of my favourite directors Mani Ratnam, one of the best cinematographers P.C. Sreeram and excellent music by Raja Sir. From an actor’s point of view, it’s a role any actor would love to perform. The character comes a full circle, the rise and fall. How an ordinary man comes out of extraordinary circumstances. Notice the beautiful nuances such as the use of the temple bell as the background score when Kamal gets married to Saranya. It’s one of Mani Ratnam’s best works till date. Even Godfather took three parts to do justice to the whole saga. Here, the character goes through all the ups and downs in one film. Given a chance I would love to do a Nayakan. If I can mention Malayalam, I would list John Abraham’s Amma Ariyaan. It’s one of my favourite films. AS TOLD TO SUDHISH KAMATH