Passionate and versatile- the two words which epitomize saiju kurup. This upcoming star capable of playing roles as different as chalk and cheese has marked his path in mollywood with his extraordinary performance in Trivandrum lodge where his role as Shibu Vellayani has been applauded by the masses. Moreover, this vivid artist is getting busier as Anirudh making his way to kollywood.

The apparel you are most comfortable in.
I usually dress up in formals and it might be due to my corporate background. Other than that a jeans and a simple cotton shirt is my choice. I like to wear traditional mundu which is the most comfortable for the climate here. As for now, I prefer a traditional wear suitable for the climate of our place but my mindset may change for something peppy and casual. This photo session definitely have updated my perspective on styling.

Directors on your wish list…
I had the opportunity to work with some of the important directors like Laljose, V.K Prakash ,Shaji Kailas and many other prominent directors from Malayalam and the one director I am aspiring to work with is Martin Prakatt as I found his movies very vivacious and innovative. For the last two years, I was working with the new generation debutant directors and they had given me the opportunity to rediscover myself as an actor. the directors Abrid Shine and Sambhu Purushothaman Whom I got a chance to work with have shown exceptional professionalism in their direction and I am sure down the road they will take Malayalam cinema to an international echelon.

What is your success mantra?
Success is the outcome of many ingredients namely disciplines punctuality and hard work. Even though we do a lot of hard work, without a proper perspective all your efforts can become futile. it is important to discover who you are prior to doing anything or else it will be disgruntled no matter how much effort we put in. Choosing the right path can offer you, a whole new level of gratification from a stable financial setup to recognition by people and the positive vibe that we receive from all these experiences can shape our lives.

Are you afraid of being stereotyped?
Of course, every actor is intimidated of being stereotyped but it’s all about the decisions that we make. It is said that the first movie selects us and the rest we have to choose and Down the road we may have to do that first character again but we can try to bring down the character to a completely new perspective and mark our novelty.

About Vedi Vazhipaddu…
Vedivazhipadu as the name indicates is a satirical movie picturing the lives of a few people who is visiting temple on a festival day. The whole theme for the movie is very light and is made lively with sarcastic dialogues and puns. The story is written by director Shambu and has expressed the story so frivolously that the crew members really enjoyed working for the movie. The whole movie been set in the backdrop of a festival and is a sure family entertainer.

How was the experience of playing a role of a cricketer in the movie 1983?
The movie brings back many nostalgic incidents of playing cricket in the fields wearing lungi with the bad made out of wood. I think in India more than 99 % of people are cricket followers, and so we can relate many of its scenes to our lives with its inspiring theme. In short, the director Abrid Shine has captures an 83’s village in a new generation perspective. The movie is picturesque with the silent backgrounds of a village.

In your opinion which is more glamorous? Cricket of film?
I think both are equally glamorous but considering the last 5 years I think the cricket is leading. However, in cricket the people are gaining recognition only when getting into the international team compared to regional levels. However, in cinema you can mark the difference even at the regional levels due to the high visibility and acceptance among the audience.

The one destination you wish to travel with your family.
The one place I will go with my family will be Nagpur where I grew up. It is my greatest desires to take my wife and daughter there to show them the places some of the important incidents in my childhood happened. In short I want to paint a picture of my childhood which defines who I am front of my family.

Shoot with FWD
photo-shoot was a relatively new experience for me and to be the cover model for a leading magazine like FWD is an aspiration for everyone including me. Moreover, thanks to the photographer Jinson for his brilliant photography skills which have brought out an exceptional output. I have heard a lot about this photo-shoot before for its unique makeover session.Creating a completely new panache out of the familiar faces is certainly a novel concept. And they have put in a lot of effort in figuring out the best styling based on our looks. Even while choosing the location, they have been very selective complementing our looks and style.

A great way to unwind…
The one place I desire to visit is Shimla during the snowfall.

A guilty pleasure…
In free time, I prefer sleeping. It is hard for me not to sleep. Apart from my sleeping hours I will lose myself daydreaming which can encompassa loving memory from childhood or an incident you wish to forget.

Most important day in your life
Trivandrum lodge was a stepping-stone to my career and so September 21st 2013 which was the release date of the movie was something memorable. Other than that there are many which I cherish like the day my daughter was born, my marriage day, my parents wedding anniversary the day I passed out from college etc.

Your message to the aspirants
What I wish to convey to the youth is that downfalls are temporary setbacks. There is no consistency for any state in human life. We just have to be persistent with a hardworking mentality and discipline, which makes everything fall back into the right track.

The movie which you watched recently
The movie, which I watched, recently was the Philips and the monkey pen. An exceptional movie with a sensible theme and definitely a must match for the whole family especially children.

You are known as Anirudh in Kollywood…why a name change?
Most of the people in the Tamil industry found it difficult to pronounce as it is a typical Malayali name. In many situations I found people struggling to remember my name. So I decided for a change of name. Anirudh is more common and of course can be easily recollected.

What’s more important to you; box-office success or critical acclaim?
While taking up film as our career we should accept both commercial and critically acclaimed movies. But in my opinion people are seeking an escape from this busy world and they prefer something relaxing and entertaining. Due to the same reason commercial movies hit the box office and considering my career growth commercial movies are my top preference.

One thing you will never do onscreen?
A sensual scene can be the most uncomfortable scene for me to act out. I will definitely do villain roles but a sensual content can be a major setback, which might even lead me to back out from the movie.

Do you relate to any character that you have played onscreen?
The character unnikesavan from my first movie ‘Mayookam’ is something close to my heart as I could relate that particular character with my own life. My debutant movie was not a box office success and it was not a setback for me maybe because movie was not my choice back then. in The first few years of my career there had been a lot of failures which I believe happened for a reason because these failures had fortified me to develop my acting career by accepting more movies. Hariharan sir had helped me through out to mold an actor out of me. Later on director VKP had given me a chance in karmayogi, which was again a critically acclaimed movie. However, it paved the way for my opportunity in Trivandrum lodge which was a stepping-stone in my career,

How important is a solo release for you?
For me I don’t consider lead roles essential because acting is my passion and as long as you love what you are doing it won’t create much of a difference considering the roles that you do. My idea is to is to do as much of movies you can irrespective of the role.

First stardom experience….
Stardom in my opinion is the recognition from the people the exposure that we receive through a film is very huge and people are easily recognized with the small or the big character you do,