It is tempting to ask multi-hyphenate Jeo Baby about the role he prefers — director or actor. He is also a writer, but we will stick to these two. The man behind movies such as The Great Indian Kitchen and Kaathal – The Core, apart from others, does not bat an eyelid, “I find acting comfortable but I like filmmaking (directing) the most. Acting is a luxurious job — you have all the time in the world. You can make friends, catch up on gossip, read… unlike a director who carries the weight and responsibilities of making a film!”
For someone who came to make films, Jeo has taken a detour to acting like Vineeth Sreenivasan and Basil Joseph. His latest film is Emcy Joseph’s Meesha, which hits theatres on August 1.
“Meesha is a male-oriented story about masculinity and male friendships, portrayed positively. Not that there is no toxicity. It is politically relevant, progressive and if it clicks, it will be one of those films that would be spoken about in the future,” Jeo says.
He is excited about the film and more by the fact that he now gets to act in films made by people outside his circle of friends. “I was excited when Emcy, the maker of Vikruthi, called me. Meesha explores the ‘wildness’ in man. Emcy’s one line struck a chord — there is a hunter in all of us. And it is so true, we ‘hunt’ at our workplaces, families…”
A lot has changed for Jeo since the last time we met, in 2017, on the eve of the release of his Kunju Daivam, his sophomore film. Incidentally it was also the first film he acted in. “It was purely to save money on hiring an actor. Some of my friends and I produced the film, and this was one way of cutting costs. Friends like Siddharth Siva noticed that and got me to act in their projects. At the time it was mostly in films by friends, and then it extended to those outside that circle of friends. Emcy and I were not friends before.”
Mammootty and Jyothika in ‘Kaathal – The Core’
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Acting, for Jeo, is a way of being part of films he otherwise, as a director or writer, may not make. “This way I can be around cinema, work with directors whose style of working or sensibility is completely different and understand how such films are or can be made. As an actor I get to be in films that I am probably never going to make or could not make. I get to see how it is made, and be exposed to the performance of different actors, various departments and their approach to cinema. Also, I feel a sense of community!”
From making indie films, his first film was 2 Penkuttikal (2016), to Kaathal – The Core, he has come a long way. Today, those following Malayalam cinema look forward to a Jeo Baby film, making him a pan-Indian phenomenon.
“My films got me to where I am. 2 Penkuttikal, though not a commercial success, did well in the festival circuit. That led to the next and next…” It was during that film that he became acquainted with Tovino Thomas, not yet the name he is today. That led to Tovino expressing a desire to act in Jeo’s future projects and Kilometres and Kilometres coming up for discussion.
While waiting for the project to materialise, Kunju Daivam got made, which was followed by Kilometres and Kilometres, produced by Tovino and a friend. Attributing interconnectedness to his films, he says, “So, whatever success there is, it is because of the movies that came before. Why Kaathal? Because of The Great Indian Kitchen. Mammootty saw that film and texted that he liked it. I replied that I was happy and proud that he felt that way.”
A scene from ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’
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The Great Indian Kitchen got him noticed by Mammootty. But before Kaathal – The Core, there were films like Freedom Fight and Sree Dhanya Catering.
Speaking to Jeo and Kaathal – The Core not coming up is impossible. It is possibly one of those rare mainstream Malayalam or Indian films for that matter that attempted a sensitive portrayal of homosexuality without the stereotypical tropes. Mammootty as Mathew Devassy was a casting coup.
Jeo explains how that came about. “I liked the script by Adarsh Sukumaran and Paulson Skaria. But the big question was ‘who will be the actor?’ Mammootty would be ideal, in our minds. If it was not Mammootty, we may or may not have done the film.”
While talking about how Mammootty came on board Kaathal, without too much of a delay and the film getting made one cannot help but wonder about the role of luck.
Jeo Baby
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Jeo disagrees, “No, luck is not a factor in any of this. Luck, if you want to call it that, is the reward of our efforts. Winning a lottery is luck, getting decent food in a restaurant…call that luck. But I don’t think it applies to work.”
He uses Mammootty coming on board Kaathal to illustrate his point. “I told Anto Joseph about the film. Within a week the project was on, with Mammootty. It was not luck. He is an actor who does things differently. When I met him, he knew I made The Great Indian Kitchen and would possibly have something [a film] of interest for him. It is not luck, it is the result of the work put in. We reached the film organically.”
Making ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’
A conversation with Jeo is incomplete without referencing The Great Indian Kitchen. The film resonated deeply with women across demographics and geography, making him a feminist icon of sorts for ‘seeing’ and ‘showing’ women. The Hindi remake Mrs. resonated similarly and provoked discussions like the original. When I congratulate him for having made the film, he says, “I am Nimisha Sajayan’s character. I have always shared chores with my partner, I did not think of it as a burden. However, when a time came that my partner’s schedule was packed I took over the role. I always thought of my ‘helping’ at home with a dash of pride. But, after a week, I gained new appreciation for my mother, partner, sister and all women! I was losing my mind with the relentlessness of household chores. Nimisha’s character’s experiences are mine. That is when you understand the womenfolk and the work they do for us. The Great Indian Kitchen was not planned, it was based on something that happened to me in my life and I made a film out of it.”
Circling back to what he said about his role in Meesha and the role with its negative shades and being guided by Emcy to essay the stylised character, I ask if he is a director’s actor. “Absolutely. I aspire to be a director’s actor. In most of the roles I have done, as an actor, I cannot bring in anything from my experiences. I have to depend on the director. Also, an actor stands to gain immensely from the director’s inputs,” he adds.
Working in the second season of the JioHotstar series Kerala Crime Files was one such experience. “As director Ahammed [Khabeer] had a very clear idea of what he wanted from his actors and for that there were multiple takes. That kind of clarity helps an actor immensely, making you a better actor and director too.”
So, as a director, what does he prefer? He replies unequivocally, “A director’s actor. It gives an actor the space to grow. With Nimisha [Sajayan], for instance, we discussed her role [in The Great Indian Kitchen] at length. So she understood where the character was coming from. The actor understands the trajectory of that person and that happens only when both stakeholders, the actor and director, discuss the role.”
Joju George in ‘Old Age Home’ directed by Jeo Baby in the five-film Malayalam anthology, ‘Freedom Fight’
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He adds how Nimisha and Suraj Venjaramoodu grew their characters way beyond how he envisioned them, likewise Mammootty and Sudhi Kozhikode in Kaathal – the Core. “When actors do that it is grace. Not everyone can do that. Joju [George] also can. He contributes immensely and is interested and invested. I know from Kunju Daivam and the anthology Freedom Fight (Old Age Home). One of the films that got him the State Award for best actor (2021).”
Jeo has a bunch of films he has committed to, and is in the process of writing his next film, “an entertainer”, he underlines.
The question of pressure is inevitable, the pressure of having a The Great Indian Kitchen and Kaathal – The Core under his belt. He laughs, “No! I don’t feel any pressure. I do have high blood pressure though. My doctor tells me it could be because of work stress and I refuse. I am one of those people who does not get angry or get worked up even on the sets. Possibly because I have a good team or, maybe, I am plain lucky!”