Patriot's Zarin Shihab calls Mammootty an incredibly generous co-actor

Actor Zarin Shihab has quietly built one of the more interesting filmographies in Malayalam cinema. From the deeply unsettling Aattam to the nuanced Ithiri Neram, she has consistently gravitated towards work that asks something of its audience. Her latest, Patriot, Mahesh Narayanan's espionage thriller featuring the two Malayalam icons, Mammootty and Mohanlal, is her most high-profile outing yet.

indiatoday.tech caught up with her for a conversation about navigating that world, the pressure of performing alongside icons and what she makes of mixed reviews.

Patriot brings together two of Malayalam cinema's biggest superstars. What were your initial thoughts when the project came to you?

I got into this through an audition and when I found out that my part was heavily involved with Mamooka (Mammooty), that was a little intimidating at first because I had only seen him on screen. I was just worried about whether comparisons would come up. I just didn't want anything to look bad. You want to put your best foot out there.

But honestly, he really put me and everybody else at ease, whether it's a newcomer or a really experienced actor. Mammootty sir is an incredibly generous co-actor. There was absolutely no need for me to take on so much pressure, is what I understood.

How did you prepare for Dr Ayesha Iqbal?

Ayesha as a character was inspired by real-life instances - dissidents and journalists across different parts of the world, and how their partners were the ones taking the fight forward. There was one instance of this journalist called Jamal Khashoggi — his partner was one of the inspirations for Ayesha. I ended up watching a few documentaries and interviews. It's quite inspiring how, with their partner not being there any more, they carry on with a larger than life cause.

Ayesha is not just a caregiver — she's a woman with agency and identity. That's a tough balance to strike in a film this big.

The character is also quite aged and mature, which is completely different in terms of body language and look compared to how I actually am in real life. So that was a little difficult to pull off. There were a few nuances which I really learned from observation.

There was one instance where Mammootty sir told me that there's a very distinct way young people turn — they turn with their heads first. But for a much older and more mature person, they turn with their stomach first, because that's where the centre is. Something as simple as that brought in a different kind of awareness to the body. I got to explore the physicality of the character in that way, which was new and interesting for me.

Patriot received a mixed response. Does that affect you?

It does bother me. I can see that the movie is being talked about — it's not being appreciated for the right reasons. First of all, it is a Mahesh Narayanan film, and I felt like that wasn't respected or talked about enough. All of these experienced actors really wanted to work with him, and that's why they signed on. He writes to service the story, to service the plot, and not other things. I do feel like eventually the movie will find its way to bigger and better audiences. It's a trial and error process.

In your case, Aattam received recognition much later and on a different platform altogether. How does that feel?

I feel good about it. There are so many difficulties that go into filmmaking. There are so many films which don't even get released — they're stuck in post-production, or there's no distribution happening, and so many wonderful films have been lost like that. I'm just glad that my work is getting released.

I also don't want to take the position of, 'Oh, the audience doesn't deserve this film.' Eventually, it's the audience that makes or breaks a film, and you are making your film for an audience, even though you're telling the story as a director or a writer. You do want people to watch it. I'm okay if there are negative or mixed reviews, as long as people are also talking about the positives.

Aattam clearly touched a nerve with women audiences. How did that feel?

The most overwhelming part was after the release — so many women came up to me and told me that they found it very relatable. That put me in a very tricky position because as an actor, you do want your performance to reach out to more people. But I also know why it was relatable for most women. So I felt really sad seeing that. Women across all age groups would reach out on Instagram with really personal notes. Hearing it firsthand from so many people was a lot to take in.

Ithiri Neram was another quietly powerful film. Do you feel it deserved more recognition?

It did for sure, but I'm also okay. I feel like a lot of people find the topic a little uncomfortable to deal with, because it shows a married man going out and seeking the company of his ex-girlfriend. I can understand why a lot of people did not really want to delve into it. But I think that's a beautiful part of cinema also, because it forces you to confront or delve into the unfamiliar or the uncomfortable. Maybe it's not for everyone. But whoever has watched the movie has only said really, really nice things about it.

Your filmography reads like quality over quantity has always been the guiding principle.

It hasn't been a conscious decision always. I started being a little more particular about my choices after Aattam. I would much rather hope for an impact with each character than constantly be doing films. After Aattam, I waited quite a while. But then Rekhachithram happened, where I played a villain. The filmmakers told me there haven't been a lot of female villains in Malayalam cinema or even in Bollywood. They said, 'Unfortunately we don't have a lot of references to show you, but we'd like to create this along with you.' I'm so glad they said that, because that was a great starting point.

After Partiot and Athiradi, Zarin Shihab's upcoming film is Leftover. It is directed by Salim Ahamed and produced by Newton Films.