Dubai businessman cuts acting teeth in ‘Athithi’

This was one film that robbed him of his sleep.

After watching Malayalam film Cocktail, Nikesh Ram found it hard to sleep that night. The following morning, the Dubai-based businessman knew that he wanted to remake Cocktail in Tamil.

Ram lost no time in procuring the remake rights and his father, Ramakrishnan Nair, (who runs business enterprises in the UAE and Kuwait) turned producer with the resulting film, Athithi.

While the prospect of a home production excited Ram, he did not foresee a role for himself in Athithi.

Athithi is directed by Bharathan, his second after Azhagiya Tamizh Magan. Bharathan entered the Tamil industry as a dialogue writer for films such as Dhill, Dhool, Gilli and Veeram and soon earned himself the sobriquet Punch Bharatan.

Nanda and Malayalam actress Ananya reprise the characters played by Anoop Menon and Samvrutha Sunil in Cocktail.

“We were looking for a new face for Jayasurya’s role,” said Ram. “Despite auditioning many people, Bharathan was not happy with anyone.”

“I was completely caught off-guard one day when he popped the question to me over a cup of coffee: ‘Nikesh, why don’t you do this role?’

“Having never acted in a film — the last time I was on stage was in my final year of college — I was not sure,” Ram added.

But at Bharathan’s insistence and assurance that he would train him, Ram took the plunge, taking a two-month acting workshop.

“Growing a beard and a moustache for the character was another new experience,” said the clean-shaven Ram.

What about the language barrier for this native of Kerala?

“I am a huge fan of Tamil films,” said Ram. “Besides I did my MBA from Tamil Nadu and I owe it to my college mate Murali Krishna for my knowledge of Tamil. Delivering lines in Tamil was not at all an issue.”

So will he be doing more films?

“Yes, there have been offers but I will decide after the response to Athithi,” said this father-of-two, who juggled business meetings while filming.

“I am thankful to my staff. It was their dedication that made it possible for me to explore a new field.”

Music composer Bharadwaj, of Autograph fame returns with Athithi, while singer Prasanna takes baby steps into acting with a role that Fahad Faazil played in Cocktail. Thambi Ramiah will be seen in a supporting role.

Will Athithi prove a lucrative deal for Ram?