Vishak Nair on completing 10 years in Mollywood: I learned to take things with a pinch of salt, whether it's success or failure

It's been 10 years since the release of Aanadam! Yes, you heard it right. That IV, that Hampi trip, that friendship, cute romance—yeah, we witnessed it in the theater a decade ago..

. Though years are going by at the speed of metro rail, the Malayalam industry is thankful to Aanandam for giving some exceptional talents. Arun Krian, Roshan Mathew, Anarkali Marikar, and the list goes on.Well, one among them is making waves in the industry with his characters by smashing all the stereotypes. None other than Kuppi, Vishak Nair. The actor who started off as the chirpy college boy is now one of the handsome villains in the industry.

In an exclusive chat with ETimes, Vishak shares about his 10 years in Mollywood."It's been a transformative journey," Vishak started off the chat. The actor who fell into the stereotyping of 'the boy next door' tag shared that it is the pandemic that has helped him to explore himself."Even I had the frustration of getting stuck in a similar character arc. I think it was that mandatory break that has transformed me just the way cinema and audience have changed.

After the overnight fame from Aanadam, I needed that dip to realize my own potential," he shared.After a couple of movies, Vishak also got into the role of a casting director. He has worked with Vineeth Sreenivasan in Hridayam and calls it one of the best learning experiences."I wasn't getting much character then. But I didn't want to stay away from the cinema. So, I grabbed the chance soon after I was offered it. It was an interesting process.

I get to see how Vineeth visualizes and approaches a movie. One day, I even wish to be a director, and this would be my first lesson," Vishak said.Breaking his image as the sweet college guy came Christy, the cruel villain in Kunchacko Boban's Officer On Duty. Be it his physical transformation or his villainy, viewers took a minute to realize it was the same Kuppi.

"I always wanted to do something different, and I was ready.

It was after the movie 'Footage' that I got cast in Officer On Duty. Initially, my character was not even in the script. But then Christy happened, and it was a game-changer in my career," he shared.Not just in Malayalam, the actor has also marked his space in Bollywood. For the unversed, Vishak had played Sanjay Gandhi in Kangana Ranaut's Emergency."Though my Hindi movie Tejas didn't do well at the box office, my character could catch the attention of Kangana.

When the production called me for 'Emergency', I thought it would be a small role. I was surprised when I was offered Sanjay Gandhi's role. I enjoyed the research I did for the character. Since there wasn't much footage or interviews of him, it was tough. I wanted to make sure my acting should never be a mimicry since many still admire him.

I had to approach the character with zero moral judgment and do my best," the actor added.So, to conclude, we asked Vishak what he feels when he looks back on these 10 years, and he said he feels like he is just in the starting phase.

"I have just completed level one. As a person and an actor, I have matured a lot. Now, I am on the right track. I don't want to be boxed into any category; I want to surprise my viewers. Even if I do a boy-next-door role again, I will make sure to make it different in some way. I also learned to take things with a pinch of salt, whether it's success or failure. Now I know my strengths and potential. Now I am really ready for the cinema," he concluded.