Anand Manmadhan understands that the struggle is far from over for him as an actor. However, he is in a happy space with some of his recent performances garnering appreciation, especially in the movie Ponman and the web series Love Under Construction.
“I have waited long for my work to get noticed. So the recognition I am receiving now is overwhelming,” says Anand.
He debuted eight years ago with the film Y, directed by Sunil Ibrahim. “Box office success eluded most of my earlier films. One movie that was talked about was Jithin Isaac Thomas’s Attention Please, which was screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala. The film was noticed by Karthik Subbaraj and, thanks to him, Netflix picked it up.”
Anand Manmadhan and Darshana Rajendran in Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey
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Things started getting better in 2022, especially with Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, in which he played the elder brother of Darshana Rajendran’s character, Jaya. “That film gave me a new lease of life as an artiste. I understood that if you are part of a commercially successful film, you will be noticed, irrespective of the length of the role. Although I had done lengthier roles in some other movies, they weren’t noticed because those films didn’t work in theatres.” Jaya Jaya… was followed by Senna Hegde’s 1744 White Alto, which did not have a good run in theatres. “But I enjoyed that role even though I had no dialogues.”
He was also one of the four writers of Sthanarthi Sreekuttan, which went on floors the same year. However, the film was released only in 2024.
Among his other releases include films such as Padmini, Roy and the web series Masterpeace and Jai Mahendran.
Anand Manmadhan in Ponman
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Meanwhile, 2025 began with a bang for him, especially with Basil Joseph-starrer Ponman. In the critically acclaimed social drama, he played Bruno, the hot-headed, temperamental political activist who ends up helpless after a point. “Jothish chettan (Jothish Shankar, director of Ponman) had shortlisted me after he watched me in Jaya Jaya…., especially my dialogues in the scene right after Darshana’s character beats up Basil’s character. Basil also had referred my name to Jothish chettan.”
He then talks about Basil’s crucial monologue (in the lodge) in Ponman. Anand even went on to share a behind-the-scene moment on his Instagram handle. “That scene was taken in a single shot. I was there watching how Basil internalised the character. It was interesting to see how he improvised for each take.”
Anand says that he modelled his character, Jiji, in Love Under Construction, on many real-life contractors he had seen. “As for my mannerisms, Vishnu (Vishnu Raghav, director of the web series) was clear that Jiji’s body language should not be subtle. That was an advantage because I have this habit of using my hands a lot while acting.”
Anand Manmadhan with Neeraj Madhav in Love Under Construction
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Anand, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, recalls that cinema has been a dream since childhood, from class VII to be exact. “That was when I saw Kamal Haasan in Nayakan (1987). He inspired me to choose cinema and become an actor. I wanted to know what acting is all about. And he continues to mesmerise me.”
Love for cinema
Although he got a job after completing his MBA, he quit that to follow his passion. “I realised that I couldn’t do anything else apart from cinema. I worked for a television channel for sometime and attended auditions alongside. When nothing materialised, I started uploading short videos on YouTube, Facebook etc. Sunil saw one of them and gave me the role in Y.”
What does it take to keep waiting for a break? “I have always been hesitant to ask for roles. So I tried to polish my craft through short films, videos and small projects. Being in cinema is a culmination of my effort. Also, I don’t look back at my struggles with bitterness. I have only grown as an artiste because of that phase. I was always hopeful even when nothing much was happening.”
Anand adds that his circle of friends has always been his support system. “There is a group of us who love to do new work so that we don’t feel that we are not doing anything. When we get an idea, we make a short video or short film on zero budget. Sometimes we don’t release these at all.”
He has also done a little bit of theatre, especially with Kanal Samskarika Vedi in Thiruvananthapuram. “I have been a substitute actor in their play, Veendum Bhagavante Maranam on several stages, including some prestigious theatre festivals.”
The actor admits that he has always tried to learn from the character actors in Malayalam cinema such as Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Jagathy, Harisree Ashokan etc. “No other industry has such fabulous actors. They continue to inspire me and unknowingly their mannerisms get reflected in my acting,” he says.
His upcoming projects are Abhyanthara Kuttavali, Ithiri Neram and Manu Ashokan’s web series Eyes. He will also be seen in the Hindi movie, Param Sundari, starring Sidharth Malhothra and Janhvi Kapoor.
Love Under Construction is streaming on JioHotstar, while Ponman will release on the same platform on March 14
Published – March 12, 2025 11:38 pm IST
