I'm keen to act in a Gujarati film

Malayalam actor Unnikrishnan Mukundan of Marco fame calls himself a pakka Amdavadi, having spent over two decades here. He is game to bring his acting prowess to the Gujarati film industry. Excerpts from an exclusive chat

- Kinjal Shah

He strongly believes in and asserts in the adage that "Cinema chooses you. You cannot choose cinema," probably because it holds true for his own life too. After making his debut in a Tamil film and acting in Telugu films, Amdavadi chokro Unnikrishnan Mukundan carved his niche and career in his mother tongue – the Malayalam film industry.

In the city to talk about his film Marco – the Hindi-language version of which is riding a four-week high across cinema houses – Unni dropped by the Mirror office and in a freewheeling chat, spoke about his love for Gujarati veterans Naresh and Mahesh Kanodia, yesteryear actress Snehlata, and his eagerness to act in a Gujarati film.

A Gujarati at heart

"I was raised in Ahmedabad and studied in Pragati High School and HA College. But cinema was always my first love. I used to closely follow Naresh Sir and Mahesh Sir’s (Kanodia) films and I used to find the actress Snehlata absolutely stunning and beautiful," shared Unni.

"Even when the film