I am not familiar with Telugu, Tamil or Malayalam and tend to feel they are foreign languages to me.
Having done movies in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi, I have been accepted both in North and down South. I don't believe in divisions. I like to believe that I am working in the Indian film industry.
Telugu and Tamil industries keenly watch Malayalam movies and are appreciative of the content, be it 'Ustad Hotel,' 'Premam' or 'Bangalore Days.' They've also been listening to our music. That's how I was approached for Telugu films.
The pacing in Tamil and Telugu is very different from Malayalam cinema.
I struggled a bit with Malayalam, but it was easier speaking Tamil; it is closer to Telugu.
I have sung some songs in Telugu and Malayalam. And I want to sing in Tamil, too.
I have acted in Tamil and Telugu, languages that were alien to me. It was then that I got the call to Malayalam.
Apart from English, I speak my mother tongue Malayalam, as well as Tamil, Telugu, and a bit of Kannada and French.
I was eight years old when I was offered a film. And before I knew it, I was acting in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu movies.
I am more comfortable working in Tamil films rather than in Malayalam.
Coming from the Malayalam sets, when I went to Telugu, people told me that I wasn't acting and that it felt dead. It was very subtle in Malayalam, while it is slightly dramatic in Telugu. It is quite fascinating to understand what each industry expects of you and work according to that.
We dabble in the regional market and have tapped into it with some amount of success. Be it Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam or even Bhojpuri music, we have explored all possibilities.
True, I was born and raised in Chennai, fluent in Tamil, but essentially, I am a Telugu guy and a Telugu actor.
'Bad Girl,' the Mollywood flick to be helmed by filmmaker Shajiyem wherein I essay the role of a super model, will be released simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.
My thought process is in Malayalam. So, every time I have to work outside Malayalam, the process is a little stressful. I have to translate my Malayalam thoughts into English and back to Tamil.
I have never been someone who chooses a film according to the language. Since I am comfortable with Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, the scope of the film is all that matters to me.