Who would’ve guessed that the B.Tech graduate from FISAT in Angaly and once inconspicuous Infosys employee would become such a rage in Malayalam cinema. Nivin Pauly’s seemingly unstoppable run at the box-office with back-to-back blockbusters now sees him crowned ‘Superstar’. Here’s what this unlikely hero of Malayalam cinema is all about:
How he got a toehold
Even as he worked in his IT job, Cochin boy Nivin applied to audition for Malarvaadi Arts Club. He didn’t make it to the short-list at first, but then one of the chosen actors dropped out and Nivin got his first break, small as it was. A string of fleeting cameos followed in films like Traffic and Spanish Masala, and he kept at it.
The first breaks
Nivin Pauly really began to get noticed in films such as Thattathin Marayathu, a musical about an inter-religious romance, which also earned him a huge fan following amongst the youth. Then came Neram, a super hit in both Malayalam and Tamil and in which he made a successful on-screen pairing with Nazriya Nazeem. In the film Nivin plays an ordinary young man caught up in the extraordinary events of a single day. He was beginning to display a remarkable ability to pick a good story and a sense of adventure while choosing to work with new age directors.
Image courtesy: filmnews.bizhat.com
On the up and up
In Malayalam cinema, last year belonged entirely to Nivin Pauly. He notched up super-hit after super-hit with 1983, Ohm Shanthi Oshaana and Bangalore Days, in which he was part of an ensemble cast that included Dulquer Salman, Fahad Fasil, Nazriya Nazeem and Nithya Menen.
A non-stop winning streak
As if to prove that that was no fluke run, Nivin Pauly opened this year with the successful Mili, following that up with Oru Vadakkan Selfie which set the box-office on fire. And now, along comes Premam in which Nivin plays George David whose romantic life the film traces over several years. It has been declared an astounding success and finds Nivin Pauly ruling unchallenged over Malayalam cinema.
Image courtesy: nowboxoffice.com
Fans and bouquets
Praise has been pouring in for Premam. Priyadarshan wrote on FB, ‘Congrats Nivin Pauly & Alphonse Puthren. You are the future inspiration of Malayalam Cinema.’ Nivin Pauly’s fanbase is growing by the day and his FB page has 2.5 million likes. Told you, he’s the new superstar.
