Malayalam cinema has long celebrated thick moustaches, pot bellies, and men who can solve every problem with an angry stare. But now, Mollywood has Naslen K Gafoor, its very own chocolate boy, who is a far cry from the industry’s traditional macho hero. It’s time for the old-school heroes to drop their stares, give their moustaches a rest, and let the young man have his moment.
Think of him as Kerala’s Ranbir Kapoor from the Wake Up Sid days. Mollywood’s megastars, Mammootty, Mohanlal, and Jayaram, have their own familiar look, complete with thick moustaches, white mundus, and half-sleeved shirts. But Gafoor belongs to a new crop of actors who are not trying to look like their predecessors. He is also not part of the new breed of actors who seem more interested in building muscles than building a character. It’s what makes him the perfect chocolate boy.
Actors such as Fahadh Faasil and Nivin Pauly have also changed what a Malayalam hero can look like. Instead of the intimidating hero, the characters they took on often carried the charm of the ordinary. They could be funny, awkward, silly, and sometimes downright stupid, just like the rest of us. Their appeal was that they felt much closer to real life.
But Gafoor takes it a step further.
At just 26, he has already built a space for himself without trying too hard to look like a movie star. He began his film career at 19 with Thanneer Mathan Dinangal (2019), playing a teenager with sharp comic timing. Since then, he has evolved into one of the most natural actors of the industry. He perfectly embodies the character, whether it’s a college kid or a boy-next-door.
He does not need to display five different emotions in a single frame to prove that he can act. Sometimes, all he needs is to be himself.
Take Premalu, for instance. Sachin (Gafoor) has a crush on Reenu (Mamitha Baiju), but Aadhi (Shyam Mohan), her project head, also wants to date her. Whenever Aadhi brags about himself or gets possessive around Reenu, Sachin’s face drops. He looks visibly irritated at times and tries to force a smile where he can. Instead of a big cinematic confrontation, the writers give us a human reaction, and Gafoor is their perfect vessel to convey the emotion.
Also read: Vijay Deverakonda is the Ranbir Kapoor of the South. Both are tone-deaf to love, women’s desires
Making the goofball desirable
Gafoor’s character in Mollywood Times will make you fall in love with him. He is that boy who dreams of making films, who wants to become the next big name in Bollywood, and who refuses to give up on his love for cinema, no matter what the industry or life throws at him. He is the character every aspiring filmmaker can see a little bit of themselves in.
For me, Gafoor’s appeal lies in his boy-next-door charm. Malayalam cinema has given us plenty of handsome heroes with flawless skin and perfectly built bodies. But when every hero looks like he has stepped out of a beauty ad, it becomes harder to see ourselves in them. Gafoor offers something different. He doesn’t follow the conventions of masculine beauty—Clavicular would probably recommend him some light bonesmashing so he can ‘skullmog’—and that is precisely the point. His understated acting is what makes him arresting.
Gafoor’s biggest strength is that he does not behave like a hero archetype, but like any other young man.
Sure, the funny, sensitive, ordinary-looking young man has existed in Mollywood for years, but Gafoor brings a distinctly romantic appeal to him. He can be goofy without being reduced to comic relief, vulnerable without appearing weak, and charming without the film having to convince us that every woman in the room wants him.
Mammootty and Mohanlal have earned their place in cinema history. But the next generation might need less macho posturing and more boys who borrow notes, roast their friends, and fall hopelessly for girls who barely know they exist.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)