Malayalam actor who worked with Dulquer Salmaan, Tovino Thomas reveals he runs kirana store to make ends meet

Malayalam actor Kannan Sagar who worked in films like Charlie and Anweshippin Kandethum surprised fans by revealing on his Facebook that he runs a store.

Actor Kannan Changanaserry, better known as Kannan Sagar, is not a new face to Malayalam cinema. He is well-known for performing mimicry on stage and playing supporting roles in various films with stars like Dulquer Salmaan and Tovino Thomas. But he revealed another side to himself that many might not know about on Facebook. (Also Read: Marco star Unni Mukundan says superheroes helped keep the child in him alive and sustain in 'harsh' film industry)

Kannan Sagar and Dulquer Salmaan in a still from the Malayalam film Charlie (2015).

Why Kannan Sagar runs a kirana store

Kannan posted a picture of himself smiling in front of a little kirana store. Revealing that he owns the store, the actor wrote a long note on how ‘business, too, is an art’ because it’s built on ‘buying, selling, and lending on credit’. He wrote of how customers’ faces change when he asks them to pay delayed dues, with some of them replying rudely or with casual threats.

The actor wrote that he ‘gently’ tries to ‘draw out their stories’ irrespective of how they behave with him. “No anger. No irritation. No loaded words. Because the moment a conversation turns cold or tense, a customer is lost,” he writes, adding, “Coming from an arts background, I struggled to find my footing in business. I was fooled more than once. I knew nothing about market tactics. Many told me outright – business isn’t for someone like you.”

Kannan then revealed why he had to run a kirana store in the first place despite acting in films, “This shop was born from a persistent thought in my wife’s heart: that we need something steady for the safety of the family and to meet daily needs as there are some days when art isn’t enough to sustain the family.”

Who is Kannan Sagar?

Kannan has played supporting roles in numerous Malayalam films through the years. He played Dulquer’s friend in Charlie (2015), a folk singer in Biju Menon's Mera Naam Shaji (2019), a key role in Tovino's Anweshippin Kandethum (2024) and more.

In a 2022 Facebook post, the actor revealed that people would initially laugh at him when he asked them for roles, but director Martin Prakkat, whom he has known for years, offered him roles in ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi (2013), Charlie, and Udaharanam Sujatha (2017), changing his life.