Roshan Mathew interview: On ‘Kankhajura’ and feeling at home in Hindi cinema

Roshan Mathew is set to play an intense and manipulative man in the upcoming Hindi web series Kankhajura. The Hindi adaptation of the Israeli web series Magpie (2019) drops on SonyLiv on May 30. The series also stars Mohit Raina, Sarah Jane Dias and Trinetra Haldar.

In the series, Roshan plays Anshu, a youngster who returns to his brother Max after 14 years of imprisonment. Anshu’s past disrupts his relationship with Max, and their lives get caught in a web of secrets, and betrayals.

Beneath Roshan’s charming personality lies a gift to play wicked and flawed characters that often leave a mark. For instance, in his recent Malayalam film Paradise, which is set in Sri Lanka, Roshan plays a man who displays his assertiveness to cover his flaws in his relationship with his wife (played by Darshana Rajendran).

Over the years, the actor has found a way to crack roles that come with multiple layers. Roshan talks to The Hindu about the different phases of his career so far, and evolving as an actor across industries. Excerpts:

In ‘Kankhajura’, you play somebody with a dark past. It seems like you have a troubled relationship with your brother. The series is mostly about what happens in the present, but your behaviour has to show the influence of your past. What goes into playing such roles?

The script has some amount of detailing, as to what exactly happened in their (the brother’s) past, and what their childhood probably was like. There’s enough hint in it for us to build our own story around it. I think that’s where the interpretation of an actor and the director comes in. I ask myself, ‘What could have made him say that’? ‘Or what could have made him think or act this way’? So, you build a backstory in your head.

A character calls you innocent yet very dangerous. It’s the perfect description of a twisted person. How different is this kind of portrayal compared to the other villainous roles you’ve done?

I don’t look at Ashu as a villain. Because everything he does is easy to justify. There are reasons behind what he’s doing. At some points, he takes extreme measures. It’s not something that I would resort to as a person. On a very unbiased scale of right and wrong, he might be in the wrong a few times for sure. But once you understand the context of his actions, you empathise with him. He is a bit reckless, somebody who will do anything to achieve what he wants.

You got your first big break with ‘Aanandam’ (2016), a feel-good coming-of-age movie in which you played the youngster Rockstar Gautham, who loves Western music. It’s been a while since we saw you in such a role. Has the genre lost its sheen?

Very honestly, I miss it. The genre is delightful. Even when I sit down to watch a film, there’s a certain kind of relaxation that comes from watching something very light and breezy. As actors, we want to try all genres. That’s what keeps us light and happy on our feet. In the last couple of years, there have been few missed opportunities due to various factors, and I regret them. They were feel-good stories. However, we find ways to be a part of them. For instance, my friends and I are doing a play. It’s called Bye Bye Bypass. It’s an absolute fun comedy ride. Even before we arrived at the exact script of the play, we were very sure that the mood of the play had to be light. Even Kankhajura isn’t so intensely dark that it’s going to be a difficult watch. It’s a very engaging show.

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In one interview, you were described as “a calm face stuck between unruly curls and a beard“. It feels like a great idea to put someone with pleasant features like you in a deceptive character. It can surprise people. For instance, I watched ‘Kappela’, having no idea what the film was about, and I was shocked at how your character transformed in the end…

There’s so much about what meets the eye in a visual medium like cinema. How a person looks and what a person, who does not know an actor at all, gauges from the appearance alone, is debatable. And it happens at such a primary level that actors aren’t even aware that the way they look is the reason why they get cast in a particular character. For me, it strikes in retrospect, once the project is over. I don’t see the rushes on the monitor. When I see the final output I feel like, ‘Okay, so this is what they probably saw initially when they approached me’. I have always wanted to sort of experiment with my looks. For Poacher, I took the beard off completely, and I felt like a different person when I looked in the mirror. My next release in Malayalam is Ronth, directed by Shahi Kabir (Ela Veezha Poonchira). I play a cop, and there is a change in my appearance. A change in look aids me while I’m shooting for a film because I feel like I’m somebody else.

‘Kankhajura’ is your only second full-fledged series after ‘Poacher’ (2024). You played a cameo in the Malayalam series ‘Master Peace’. Did you have to dodge many scripts to pick what felt right for you?

When compared to shooting for a Malayalam film, a web series requires a longer time commitment. So, whenever I choose to do a series, I have to make peace with the fact that I’m going to miss a few film projects. Some films look exciting, but I let go of them with a heavy heart. So, this long commitment that I’m going to make for a particular series better be worth it. With Poacher and Kankhajura, the crew mattered to me. Having Richie Mehta direct a show, with actors such as Nimisha and Divyendu, was a strong reason to say yes to Poacher. For Kankhajura, Rajeev Rai was the cinematographer, and Chandan Arora co-wrote the story. These people do something very original and exciting.

Mohit Raina and Roshan Mathew in the web series.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The Hindi industry has taken vast strides in the web series space, whereas Malayalam cinema is best known for its new-age content. Do you find it tough to balance the two industries?

Some amount of a trade-off does happen, and it’s out of your control. Within the Malayalam industry, I have a certain kind of familiarity with people. So, when two projects are clashing, I can discuss and figure things around. When you’re doing work in another industry, and something else comes by, the best thing is to decline it. It avoids complications.

You said you struggled for the first two or three days on the sets of ‘Choked’ (2020). It was your first major Hindi project, and you were working with an experienced maker like Anurag Kashyap. How have you grown as a performer in Hindi?

I’ve gotten more comfortable with the idea of working in a different industry. I don’t feel orphaned. I don’t feel uprooted from my home. I felt this while working in Kankhajura and Ulajh (2024), the last two projects I did in Hindi. For Poacher, we shot a lot in Kerala, so it didn’t count for me as a project in a different industry. I am somebody who can quickly find my comfort in new spaces.

How have your days at the Drama School Mumbai helped you evolve as a Hindi actor?

It’s about what we access from within ourselves. The moment I am in Bombay, I feel like one whole side of my personality comes alive. I have spent a couple of milestone years of my life in the city. So much transformation and self-discovery happened at the Drama School. My closest friends are from that school. I feel like I rely on the confidence that my friends and faculty from the drama school have given me. Even if Hindi isn’t my mother tongue, it’s become a language I can access. I can tap into a certain level of honesty in Hindi.

How keen are Malayalam filmmakers about exploring the web series space?

People are slowly starting to tap into the potential of the format. There are very few projects that have come out. But some exciting ones are coming soon. On SonyLiv, I feel Krishand RK’s series is going to be exciting. It’s called The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang. Mithun Manuel Thomas (Anjaam Pathiraa, Abraham Ozler) has made one. For filmmakers in Kerala, time is a huge factor because of how quickly Malayalam films get made. However, for a web series, plans keep shifting here and there. It’s a challenge to constantly coordinate with OTT platforms housed in Bombay (Mumbai). Setting up all the plans early enough and shooting for such a long period are the pains in this particular format for Malayalam filmmakers.