Marco star Unni Mukundan: I got into films to express myself and to do that…

The past 25 days have been nothing short of overwhelming for Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan, the latest South star to taste pan-Indian success with his movie Marco which released on December 20, 2024, and has been in the news ever since. While many would attribute the success to the action genre and some to the production quality and hype of the film, there’s no denying that the actor aced the pan-Indian test that few of his contemporaries have managed to do so far, with a theatrical film.

Unni also tells OTTplay, in a candid and exclusive interview, that it was the conclusion of a six-year plan that he put into motion in 2018, in a bid to change his action-hero image. But the comeback to the genre, with Haneef Adeni’s Marco has been career-defining and has set new benchmarks for action films to chase in Indian cinema.

The actor talks to us about how he went about executing his vision, what the success of Marco means to him, the next phase of his career and more.

Three years ago, during the release of Meppadiyan, you told us that you were trying to shake off the action-hero image you had in the industry. But with Marco, you have fully embraced it. How did that transition happen?

It’s not just three years ago; this plan was in motion from 2018, when I thought I should move and create an environment where I feel motivated to work. It shouldn’t just be about doing films as and when they come. I really wanted to bring about a change as to how people perceived me. Back then, there was this talk about me being ‘all brawn and no brain’, and I felt I needed to take up a particular kind of cinema – maybe a family-oriented movie or a light-hearted film – that could possibly help me shed that image, which came from my successful films that had me in macho avatars.

See, I was good at action, but I had to still quit it to fit into this bracket of so-called ‘actor’. Things worked as intended and I launched my production company, Unni Mukundan Films, with the idea of doing movies that I wasn’t being considered for. Meppadiyan, which won a National Award, was the beginning and I went through a body transformation for the role in which my physique didn’t matter.

The plan then was to do five such films; I did that with Meppadiyan, Shefeekkinte Santhosham, Jai Ganesh, Malikappuram and the upcoming release Get Set Baby, which I completed before Marco.

I think the best thing that I had done as an actor was to promote the producer in me. The latter has done complete justice to the job that was assigned, which was to build a company, create the kind of movies I wanted to be part of and create a base of audience who would love to see my movies. This solid ground-level support from the family audience too, sort of helped Marco, which has crossed Rs 100 Cr theatrically across India despite being an A-rated film.

So, yes. There was a plan, and I didn’t deviate from it. I waited six long years to do what I liked the most and maybe what I am best at. Having a vision always helps. Now, I will be working hard towards the next phase, so that even luck favours me.

What does this success mean for you as a person and an actor?

More freedom and more control. I feel that it has already changed the trajectory of my career. I am now more driven to do subjects, which coming from the Malayalam film industry, might appear riskier. With Marco, Meppadiyan and even Malikkapuram, people had expressed their concerns about how these films would run. But I was convinced that a good film will always work, and do tremendously well at the box office.

I feel very much in control right now. I know that’s a loud statement and you are never in total control, but that’s the current feeling. Success is extremely important and now that it has happened at this scale, my obligation towards the audience has also grown.

Before Marco, you were set to do another action film, Bruce Lee with Vysakh, but that didn’t happen.

Bruce Lee didn’t happen due to various reasons – one of them could have been because it was difficult to convince people. I had to drop it because I wasn’t convinced about how the film was being mounted. It wasn’t the kind of action film that I wanted to do; Marco was exactly what I had in mind when I wanted to return to the action genre. I didn’t want to do action just for the sake of it; I wanted to set a benchmark, and create an impression. Today, Marco is termed as one of the most violent action films from India, and not just from the Malayalam film industry. That was exactly what I wanted and I am glad I could pull it off with such high production quality.

Now, having tasted success in the same genre – along with a producer who has given you total freedom and a filmmaker who was able to showcase his vision without compromise, how important do you rate these aspects for an actor?

These are important, especially if you want to leave an impression by the end of your career. I have a certain taste in cinema and strong opinions. The prime reason I got into films was to express myself. And to be able to do that, you have to be in a position of control. A good amount of initial success can help you reach there, or you will have to create a space where you can take the calls. Things turned around for me once I became a producer.

Also, the producer in me never got stressed out because of the creative obligation. The actor though survived primarily because it was the need of the hour and I had to come good. There was a vision I was chasing in terms of where I wanted my career to go. I believe the movie industry is fickle and the importance of luck can never be overstated. But a hard-working man gets lucky at some point in his life.

Marco is a film that had you invested – physically, emotionally and financially. Were there phases where you were exhausted?

There were, because there was too much at stake and too many things happening. But that was the road I chose. I was exhausted physically and mentally, because I wanted to finish the movie within a particular time. Additionally, it was a huge risk that my team and I took with Marco. Even though we were positive, you couldn’t totally shut out the whispers outside. Now, I am taking my own sweet time to start the shoot of my next film.

Before Marco, there were several Malayalam films that had tried to adopt the pan-Indian formula but failed. What went into ensuring that Marco travelled and how involved were you in charting and executing that plan?

I never used this term to promote Marco because I felt it had to be organic, at least from my side. I designed a project which had the potential to travel outside Kerala. I believe audiences, wherever they are, should connect with the subject in some way, for the film to work. Connecting in terms of region or culture is tough, but it can be easier through entertainment. That was the whole plan.

I was keen to know how Marco would be accepted by the Hindi audiences and I am glad it did really well. The previous record for a Hindi-dubbed version of a Malayalam film was about Rs 25 lakh, and now we are inching towards Rs 13-15 Cr. That’s a vast difference and it would give immense motivation to other Malayalam filmmakers. I am glad that Marco is the first Malayalam film, or at least the most recent one, to be accepted as a pan-Indian movie and I could get the recognition from audiences outside Kerala too through it.

How do you think the success of Marco would impact the next phase of your career?

Post Marco, meeting the expectations of the audience will be the only challenge. I have a plan and I hope to execute that. I am keen on seeing how things unfold. I don’t want to dwell too much on the pan-Indian success because every actor wants to grow. It’s just a new term we have coined to define bigger success. I am glad Marco is travelling and now I have a set of audience who don’t speak my mother tongue but are keen to see me on screen. That’s the high for me.

You have Get Set Baby to follow, and there’s also Gandharva Jr that was announced. Does Marco’s success impact these projects?

It would definitely come good for Get Set Baby, which is directed by Vinay Govind. It’s a wonderful film, with great songs and is a mature take on a mature subject. As an actor, it brings me back to the family audience. The movie will get a different reception. All the new audiences, including the youth, who have watched Marco would find it refreshing to see me in this avatar, with no blood. I am hopeful about Get Set Baby being a good family entertainer.