Roshan Mathew reveals Kesav in Paradise was more challenging than Dinanath in Ronth; opens up about his bittersweet relationship with stardom

Indian Express

08-07-2025

Roshan Mathew is no longer just another name in Malayalam cinema's long list of exceptional acting talents. Thanks to his relentless and successful efforts to keep pushing himself as a performer, consistently taking on roles that are starkly different from each other across a diverse range of films and series, Roshan now ranks among those rare actors who assure at least a minimum level of quality not only in their performances but also in the projects they choose.
Although it has been a decade since he debuted in cinema, he continues to power through with the same momentum and passion. While basking in the success of his recent outings, Ronth and Kankhajura, he is also busy filming his next project, Chatha Pacha. Amidst all this, he has not forgotten that it has been a year since Paradise, one of his most acclaimed films, hit the screens, and he remains deeply grateful to Sri Lankan filmmaking legend Prasanna Vithanage for giving him the role of Kesav.
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In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Roshan Mathew admitted that playing Kesav in Paradise was a more challenging experience than portraying Dinanath in Ronth. 'They were both very different experiences and extremely different characters. But Kesav was tougher for me as an actor, mainly because he is more distant from me than Dinanath is. He's more unlike me. Both the character and Prasanna sir's process require the actors to access a very honest part of themselves, even when portraying a character with grey shades. Also, since his making is very minimal, even the tiniest things that appear on screen have big meanings, and the same holds true for performances as well. Grasping all of that was definitely a challenging experience for me, albeit an enjoyable one,' he shares.
Regardless, Roshan maintains that the experience he had, even during the preparatory stages of Paradise, felt very special. 'I knew the process was going to be memorable, particularly since I would be collaborating with incredible talents like Prasanna sir and cinematographer Rajeev Ravi. But I hadn't really spent too much time thinking about what would happen to the film afterwards. So, it felt truly overwhelming when it did,' he says.
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Mentioning that the film resonating with viewers wherever it was screened brought them great joy, Roshan adds, 'We could see the concept of 'be as specific and local — zoom in as much as you can — to make it more universal' really working. At many international film festivals, the movie also struck a chord with Sri Lankan audiences, and that was heartwarming. They knew the political climate and the history of the country. They were people who had lived through it all. And while watching the movie, they felt seen. They felt it offered an accurate representation of what was unfolding there.'
When asked which three films or shows, that best reflect him as an actor and showcase his skills, he would recommend to someone unfamiliar with his works, Roshan Mathew picked director Geetu Mohandas' Moothon (2019), in which he starred alongside Nivin Pauly; Paradise, which also featured his frequent collaborator Darshana Rajendran in a key role; and Chandan Arora's crime thriller streaming series Kankhajura, where he shared the screen with Mohit Raina, Sarah Jane Dias and Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju.
Interestingly, 2025 also marks a decade of Roshan Mathew in cinema. It has been almost 10 years since his first film, Adi Kapyare Kootamani (2015), was released. By this point in their careers, most young actors would have begun actively pursuing films and roles that propel them to stardom. However, Roshan is more focused on projects that challenge him and allow him to explore uncharted creative territories. Naturally, we asked whether he had no interest in the kind of stardom so many aspire to.
'It would be a lie to say that I have no interest in that kind of stardom. It is very attractive, honestly. Also, in cinema, stardom is what empowers filmmakers to design projects with you in mind. You need the support of stardom to make the kind of projects you wish to do happen. So, for a very practical purpose, I need it and want to make that happen. However, I feel that the way to get there is not to do characters designed to project me as a star. Neither is that my strength, nor an area that excites me the most. It's something that I like to experiment with,' he shares.
'It's not that I haven't done extremely commercial projects. I've done films like Night Drive (2022) and Maharani (2023). I'm currently shooting for Chatha Pacha, which is an extremely commercial entertainer. But I don't want to go after a requirement at the cost of my satisfaction of doing the kind of work that I want to do,' Roshan adds, noting that if he were, however, offered something like Jithu Madhavan's Fahadh Faasil-starrer Aavesham, he would jump in with full excitement.
Anandu Suresh is a Senior sub-editor at Indian Express Online. He specialises in Malayalam cinema, but doesn't limit himself to it and explores various aspects of the art form. He also pens a column titled Cinema Anatomy, where he delves extensively into the diverse layers and dimensions of cinema, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourse. Anandu previously worked with The New Indian Express' news desk in Hyderabad, Telangana. You can follow him on Twitter @anandu_suresh_ and write (or send movie recommendations) to him at [e-mail]. ... Read More