Roshan Mathew says work in Hindi helped him correct 'wrong approach' to acting: 'I was ignoring the camera' | Interview

Roshan Mathew talks about his new show, Kankhajura, and more, in a candid chat with HT.

He may consider Malayalam cinema his home, but Roshan Mathew agrees that Hindi cinema is where he first began his love affair with the camera. The actor, known for films like Moothon, Kappela, and C U Soon (and Darlings for Hindi viewers), is currently basking in the success of his latest series, Kankhajura. The actor speaks with HT about the show, and his 'homecoming' to Hindi.

Roshan Mathew talks about his new show, Kankhajura, and more.

On Kankhajura

Kankhajura saw Roshan play a devious and scheming antihero for the first time in his career. "It was a lot of fun," he says with a smile, adding, "The primary reason why I was excited to play Ashu (his character in Kankhajura) is that I haven't done anything like this. I hadn't realised that I actually haven't played a character like this. Particularly in Hindi, where everyone knows me as Zulfi from Darlings. I felt that it was a nice switch."

When asked if his soft features and image has hindered such roles coming his way, Roshan laughs and replies, "The visual matters a lot in such a visual medium. How an actor looks plays a huge part in casting. There are very few people who know us personally. So, it's this interview persona or public persona that is accessible to everyone. I am very glad that for something like this, Chandan sir (Kankhajura director Chandan Arora) and the team thought I was capable of this."

On ‘homecoming’ to Hindi

He gained fame with Malayalam films, but Roshan's first released acting project was a Hindi web series called Tanlines, which streamed on SonyLIV in 2015. Given that, does a return to Hindi feel like a 'homecoming'? "It's always felt like that," says Roshan, elaborating, "My first project in front of the camera, where I actually started having fun with the medium, was Tanlines. Proshit Roy, who directed it, played a huge part in getting me to make friends with the camera. I had done a couple of films in Malayalam, but they hadn't been released. But I was going at it with the wrong approach. I was completely ignoring the camera and pretending like I was on stage. Proshit changed that for me. I owe a lot to him. So, if you think about it, getting to do another series in Hindi is a strange kind of homecoming."

Kankhajura also stars Mohit Raina, Sarah Jane Dias, and Trinetra Haldar. It is currently streaming on SonyLIV.