Meanwhile, Paranthu Po marks the first collaboration between Shiva and Ram. “Shiva’s sir’s forte is comedy, as evident in projects such as Chennai 600028, Vanakkam Chennai and the Tamil Padam franchise. We love the fun side of his characters, but this (Paranthu Po) operates in a space of intense emotions. Naturally, I wondered how such a collaboration would unfold. Finally, the ship veered into his (Shiva) territory,” says Aju as he bursts out in laughter. He adds, “Even so, the film, when I was part of it, had many funny moments. Comedy is a varied and diverse genre. There is plenty of scope for humour in painful situations. There are many eye-openers and laughter-inducing moments as we travel with the family in Paranthu Po.” The actor adds that such films are quite common in Malayalam cinema, citing examples such as Maheshinte Prathikaram, Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, and Kumbalangi Nights. “In Tamil, I do not come across such films, although Tourist Family came out recently.” The actor also reveals that because he always goes by the script and listens to his director, he did not face any language difficulty while working in his maiden Tamil feature. In a candid admission, he says, “Shiva sir has always been known for his spontaneity, which I do not have. I may be able to say the odd comeback line when in my friend circle, but I do not have it when in character.”
Speaking of which, the actor has also found it challenging to reprise his role in Ahammed Khabeer’s Kerala Crime Files 2: The Hunt for CPO Ambili for multiple reasons. He has graduated from being SI Manoj in the first season to CI Manoj in the second. “Initially, I was scared about reprising the role,” Aju explains. “I moulded SI Manoj based on my director’s inputs, giving him specific mannerisms and expressions that I considered appropriate for the character at the time. Two years later, remembering every detail and avoiding unintended changes that might compromise authenticity proved a real challenge,” says the actor. He also notes, “The second challenge I faced came with the changes in the writers. Ashiq (Aimar) wrote the first season, Bahul (Ramesh) penned the second one. They have different approaches to writing, which means two different ‘voices’ for the same character.”