I prefer being behind the camera: Littil Swayamp

Ustad Hotel will never stop being in the news, it seems, and that’s a good thing. One of the most celebrated Malayalam films of the year, the film has gone on to create box-office records by continuing to run to full houses even 100 days after its release.

Celebrating this record we caught up with Littil Swayamp, a Bangalore-based actor and ad filmmaker to talk about his career, his Bangalore connection and the film.

“My connections to Kerala are in the cities of Cochin and Trivandrum, though most of my childhood was spent in Sharjah. I did grow up in Kerala too and hence my connection to the state,” opens Littil.

A graduate from Symbiosis, Littil worked as an ad filmmaker with lots of production houses, often also featuring in their ads — though Ustad Hotel came as a surprise to him.

“The director of the film, knew a friend and hence the word spread that they were looking for someone who could play the role of a band member. The Kallumakaya group in the film may not be the main characters, but they did contribute a lot to the story and so I jumped at the offer,” Littil explains.

So how was the movie experience we ask? “Shooting in Calicut was a pleasure and the film has now gone on to become a super-hit. It was an amazing experience, working with such big names in the industry. It is sad that we lost a maestro like Thilakan recently and I am sure the industry and the whole of Kerala mourns him, but I am glad that I got to work with him — however short those scenes might have been.”

So, will you continue to act? “No, I don’t think so, not unless something really irresistible comes my way. I prefer being behind the camera and for now, I guess I’ll stick to what I do best,” Littil concludes.