PremiumDaveed star Antony Varghese: 'I wish more action films like Jackie Chan’s happen in Malayalam cinema' | Exclusive
Malayalam actor Antony Varghese, who is gearing up for the release of Daveed, talks about getting in shape for the role, what to expect from the movie, and his goals for this phase in his career.
Last Updated: 12.01 PM, Feb 13, 2025
There are certain things you cannot run away from. For Malayalam actor Antony 'Pepe' Varghese, it’s action-genre films. “This is what destiny has planned,” says the action star, who was part of films like RDX, Angamaly Diaries, and Kondal, but still maintains that he never thought he would find space in the film industry as an action hero.
With every film, Antony has solidified that part and his next movie Daveed, for which has lost 23 kg to look the part of a professional boxer, could take it a notch higher. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, the actor talks about his latest release, his plans for this phase in his career, and more.
Though you have done a lot of action films, was Daveed’s the most physically exhausting role that you have played – especially because most of the work to look the part happened before you even started shooting?
Of course. I am someone who enjoys having all types of food. So, to cut down on all that, was physically as well as mentally tough – especially the first few days. Before the shoot, the movie’s producer Achu and his friend, who is a dietician, rented out a flat in Kochi. The plan was for all of us to stay together and for me to get in shape in six months. I lost about 23 kg. It was predominantly through dieting, two hours of boxing daily and workouts twice a day. It continued even after we began the shoot, but the workout was only once a day. It was difficult, but doing it for a film like this was worth it.
How would you rate this in terms of difficulty – as compared to what you had to physically go through while shooting for Jallikattu?
(Laughs) In terms of the duration, this must have been the toughest. But in Jallikattu, Lijo (Jose Pellissery) chettan wanted the scenes to be raw in nature, and so the circumstances were modified for that. We had to shoot at a dam reservoir during December. So, I had to brave the freezing cold while being drenched. That was tough too.
Apart from Daveed being a boxing film, it also talks about the emotional relationship between a father and a mother, something a few of your previous action movies had lacked. Was that also what appealed the most to you while choosing the film?
What I liked the most about the movie, which doesn’t have a mass hero or something, is that it’s a story of a common man told through light humour, emotions and family drama. It’s not an all-out action or violent film. It’s a simple movie that everybody would understand.
What were the kind of action films that you enjoyed while growing up?
I loved watching Jackie Chan’s movies. They had liberal doses of action, but they also had comedy. I wish such movies happened here. Those kinds of films can be enjoyed by the family audience as well as youngsters.
Your action films – be it Angamaly Diaries, Ajagajantharam, or Kondal – have all had a very rooted-to-reality vibe going for it, especially at a time when filmmakers have gravitated to larger-than-life or violent action heroes. Daveed too has certain real-life references.
Yes, we try to touch upon Puthalathu Raghavan sir’s life. We went to Polladikunnu, Kozhikode. It’s a small village, and there are still students who train there in boxing. It’s called Boxing Village. There are training montage sequences that we shot there, which would be relatable to our Malayali audience. We have used a mix of Raghavan sir’s techniques for those scenes. Boxing is not just about throwing the punches, but it’s also about evading them and he had used kalaripayattu training for that.
On how rooted Daveed is, I don’t want to compare it with other action films. There hasn’t been a lot of Malayalam sports dramas that have had boxing as its central theme, like Sarpatta Parambarai in Tamil. It has elements that can give the viewers an adrenaline rush, and I am hoping it will connect with the audience when it releases. When I read the script, I gave me those vibes and I felt it could thrill the audience in theatres.
This is your eighth year in the film industry, and it’s a phase where every actor would have zeroed in on a goal that he wants to chase. Do you have a set plan or are you still going with the flow?
My wish is to be more active in films. If you look at the past few years, I have done a max of one or two movies per year. Any other actor at the same stage of career would have done more.
That said, there’s also a reason I have done fewer films. It’s because of the kind of movies that I had picked. For instance, Daveed took six months to shoot and so, I have spent close to a year attached to the movie. Similarly, Kondal too took six months . So, the time I have been involved in these films also leaves fewer months for me to take up other projects.
But I want to change that. I want to do more films, primarily because that’s the only way we can improve ourselves as an actor. If you keep doing the same thing over and over, you will not be able to bring in too many nuances to separate your characters.
Has the nature of the scripts that are coming your way changing?
I have been concentrating on more action films, but I also want to do other genres like romance and comedy, while not letting go of this entirely. I had tried this before, but it didn’t work out the way I planned. And I still want to, provided I don’t cause any financial damage to my producers. There are writers coming to me with different scripts, and I am confident that one day, I will crack different genres.
The biggest comedy is that when I was in college, doing short films, I used to act as a romantic hero. I have been a huge Thalapathy Vijay fan, but I never gravitated towards action back then. I didn’t know martial arts, I wasn’t the kind who would fight in college. So, action was never my forte. But destiny had other plans.