More Than A Director: 6 Roles That Highlight Dileesh Pothan's Quiet Power As An Actor
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Known for crafting some of Malayalam cinema’s most nuanced films, Pothan proves just as compelling on screen, writes Neelima Menon . |
DILEESH POTHAN'S ENTRY INTO ACTING happened almost by accident. While assisting Aashiq Abu on Salt N Pepper, he was coaxed in front of the camera to play a disagreeable film director with wandering eyes and dubious boundaries. It was a small part, but a striking one, made even more memorable because he was simultaneously part of the crew. In the years that followed, Pothan slipped into a handful of minor roles — some fleeting, others forgettable — until Maheshinte Prathikaaram, his own directorial debut, turned the tables. Here, in a gentle cameo, he appeared as a soft-spoken NRI perennially taken for granted. Soon after came Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu, where he embodied the easygoing college mate of Biju Menon’s character, a warm and nostalgic presence that gave the narrative an extra heartbeat. MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: The Dileesh Pothan Interview | 'To Live As Someone Else Is Fascinating' These weren’t showy performances, but they revealed something distinct: Pothan, despite being known for crafting some of Malayalam cinema’s most nuanced films, could hold his own on screen simply by being disarmingly natural. His recent outing in Ronth has only reinforced this, with many critics and viewers pointing to Pothan as the film’s strongest pillar. His choices as an actor have been as varied and experimental as the ones he has made as a director. And now, with the announcement of his next big directorial, co-written by Shyam Pushkaran (once again), it feels like the perfect time to look back. Here are six of his finest turns in front of the camera. |
When SI Yohannan (Dileesh Pothan) is first introduced in Shahi Kabir’s Ronth, he is in the kitchen, adding seasoning to the fish curry he has packed for work, gently urging his wife to eat on time. It’s a domestic portrait brimming with quiet compassion that sets up a crucial contrast in understanding this man. And as soon as Yohannan steps out in uniform, he snaps into the terse, emotionally armoured professional that duty demands him to be. To his subordinate, the young and idealistic CPO Dinnath (Roshan Mathew), Yohannan appears abrasive and dismissive, a man hardened by years in the force. Their dynamic, often tense and charged, forms the emotional backbone of the film. Dinnath is new to the job, still clinging to the lofty belief that the system can be mended with moral courage. So, when he witnesses Yohannan casually accepting a bribe from a local priest, he doesn’t mask his disappointment. But Yohannan, rather than defending himself, offers a wry, weary explanation: the money is for fixing their long-neglected police jeep. The narrative is a delicate, slow-burning exploration of two men at different ends of the same doomed tunnel. One is just stepping into it, eyes wide with hope. The other has been in it too long; his vision adjusted to the darkness. Eventually, even Dinnath is forced to confront the fact that beneath the rigid facades they both wear, they are united by something tragic: a system that uses them, then abandons them without warning. Psst... Ronth is currently streaming on JioHotstar, now available with your OTTplay subscription. |
And in the centre of this quietly devastating story stands Yohannan — arguably Dileesh Pothan’s most layered and heartbreaking performance yet. It's the kind of role that doesn’t offer grandstanding moments, but demands instead a slow, deliberate unveiling of internal ruin. He doesn’t “perform” grief or weariness — he embodies it. It’s a performance soaked in a kind of emotional fatigue that feels deeply lived-in. One of the film’s most moving subplots is Yohannan’s relationship with his wife, who suffers from clinical depression. Here, the tough cop softens into a gentle caregiver. In the most affecting stretch of the film, when Yohannan realises that he is likely to be arrested, his first instinct is not to defend himself or plead his case. Instead, he moves swiftly, and with heartbreaking calm, to find a place of safety for his wife. There’s a sense of foreboding in the way he packs her bag and ensures she’ll be looked after — it’s a man bracing for personal disaster, but with no time or energy left for self-pity. Stream the latest films and shows with OTTplay's Power Play monthly pack, for only Rs 149. |
It is in these moments that Dileesh Pothan’s artistry as an actor shines the most. You see the stoicism of a man who has long made peace with being disposable. But you also see flickers of something far more vulnerable — a quiet, unspoken plea for dignity in a world that offers very little of it. Yohannan doesn’t break down, doesn’t rage at the heavens. He just... keeps going, one careful step at a time, even as the ground gives way beneath him. Pothan lingers, as a painfully human presence, caught in a battle he never chose. His defining turn as Peter in Padmakumar’s Joseph (2018) offered a nuanced counterpoint to the emotionally stunted men who usually populate crime dramas. Ironically, Peter — who shares shades of Pothan’s later role as Yohannan in Ronth — is not the protagonist, but leaves an indelible mark. While Joseph (Joju George) grapples with the unresolved grief of his ex-wife’s death, it is Peter, her current husband, who shows unexpected emotional maturity. He reaches out to Joseph and gently guides him through his pain. Pothan brought a rare grace to vulnerability, proving that strength doesn’t always come with bravado. |
In the same year, he played a local priest who moonlights as a self-styled detective, unafraid to wield his influence with casual manipulation in Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Ee. Ma. Yau. Pothan anchored it in a lived-in eccentricity that made the character believable despite the film’s stylised chaos. From subdued emotional registers to comic flamboyance, 2018 showcased his range as an actor. Two standout roles have showcased Dileesh Pothan’s natural affinity for morally grey characters. In Anwar Rasheed’s Trance, he plays Avarachan, the man who grooms Viju Prasad (Fahadh Faasil) into the charismatic, messianic Pastor Joshua. Avarachan is no caricatured villain but a shrewd operator who knows the business of faith like the back of his hand. In the early scenes, his cockiness is palpable — he's impatient, even dismissive of Viju’s vulnerabilities. But as the psychological transformation unfolds, Avarachan shifts into a quieter, more calculating guide. Pothan nails both textures of the character — domineering and then composed — with an ease that feels almost invisible. |
In stark contrast, Amal Neerad’s Bheeshma Parvam casts him as TV James, a smiling schemer in starched whites. A Member of Parliament and a political opportunist, James, wears geniality like a mask. He bends rules and loyalties with ease, but when it comes to facing consequences, he recoils — a coward hiding behind cronies. Pothan walks a fine line here, infusing James with oily charm and theatrical politeness, never letting the menace slip too far below the surface. Watch the scene where Michael (Mammootty) refuses to support his campaign — James’s smile doesn’t drop, but the glint in his eye gives away a man already orchestrating betrayal. With characters like Avarachan and James, Pothan proves he can make ambiguity not only compelling but also dangerously watchable. Dileesh Pothan on Bheeshma Parvam: Amal Neerad’s brilliance is in how he places his movies |
And then came Aashiq Abu’s Rifle Club — marking Dileesh Pothan’s most flamboyant outing yet, in the form of Avaran Skaria. As the secretary of a close-knit group of seasoned hunters, Avaran commands the room not with bluster but with an easy authority. That the only surviving co-founder, Lonappan (Vijayaraghavan), treats him like family doesn’t sit well with Lonappan’s son, Godjo (Vishnu Agasthya). But Avaran has long learned to parry Godjo’s passive-aggressive jibes with pointed indifference. What sets Avaran apart is his unshakable poise. Even amid tension and crisis, the members instinctively look to him — he’s the de facto leader, the man whose calm signals action. Pothan plays him with subtlety, and that includes the occasional wisecrack, the rakish glint in the eye, and that blend of arrogance and warmth. While every member of the Rifle Club brings a certain heroic appeal, it’s Avaran who subtly rises to the top — his verve grounded not in loud heroics, but in a quiet, commanding presence that Pothan delivers with effortless control. ALSO READ | Dileesh Pothan’s performances that are worth revisiting in these Malayalam films on OTTplay Premium |
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