Deepak Parambol : It is a blessing to be part of award-winning films

For an actor, nothing can be more joyful than getting appreciation for his movies. Actor Deepak Parambol is on a high these days, with his films, Ottamuri Velicham and Rakshadhikari Baiju getting critical as well as commercial acclaim. While Ottamuri Velicham won the Kerala State Award for Best Film, Rakshadhikari Baiju won it for best popular film.
“Films are my passion and of late, I have been able to do character roles that have a lot of scope for performance,” says Deepak who played the lead character of Chandran in Ottamuri Velicham.During the announcement of the National award winners, a comment made by jury head Shekhar Kapoor had created some confusion. Kapoor praised Malayalam cinema, saying that in one of the films he saw an actor as a rapist and wife beater while in another, the same actor was a thief in custody. Like everyone else, Deepak himself was curious and excited as to whether the director had mistaken him for Fahadh, and meant Deepak’s role in Ottamuri Velicham. “I was extremely happy, and wished he had mentioned the film’s name, if he meant ours,” he says.
Deepak has been known more for his character roles, but says there is immense scope for learning while playing such roles. “Working with Biju Menon in Rakshadhikari Baiju was a great experience. I now prefer character roles over lead roles,” he says.
Deepak was noticed as the communist leader in Thattathin Marayathu, and also as the footballer cum police officer named Sharafali in Jayasurya starrer Captain. “As Captain is a biopic, Sharafali is a real character. I tried my best to provide justice to the role. The real Sharafali had called me after watching the movie. He told me that his wife found our mannerisms alike,” he says.
In Asif Ali’s upcoming movie, B Tech, Deepak plays a Kannur guy. “I am a native of Kannur and to play a guy with Kannur slang was fun,” he says, adding that from his debut movie Malarvadi Arts Club in 2010 to now, the industry has come a long way. “Being from Malabar, I wasn’t active here in Kochi and didn’t have many contacts in the film industry. The only person I knew was Vineethettan (Vineeth Sreenivasan). Now, I am settled in Kochi, and focusing completely on films,” says the MCA graduate.