Exclusive | Fahadh Faasil on 'Maareesan' and Working with Vadivelu: 'Opportunities Like These Are To Die For'

In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil talks about his love for layered storytelling, unpredictable characters, and why Maareesan is the kind of film he lives for.

Faasil belongs to a league of actors who believe in giving their characters and their stories the time they deserve. His upcoming Tamil film Maareesan, directed by Sudheesh Sankar and written by V. Krishna Moorthy, is a testament to that philosophy. Starring Faasil, Vadivelu and Kovai Sarala, the film is set for release on July 25, 2025.

The shoot, much like the story, followed an unconventional rhythm. “This process is not cost-friendly at all,” Faasil tells THR India, referring to his approach of shooting in the order of the screenplay rather than rushing through it. “But then you fight and you try to do it. With Maareesan, because it’s such a long terrain, we were disturbed by rains, and a lot of things had to be replanned and pre-shifted. But we stuck to the plan of going in order, and mostly, we’ve done that.”

Maareesan seems to be a unique film in which every major character is unreliable. Faasil instantly agrees. “Yeah. You can’t trust anybody. Everyone has a tool; you have no idea what they’re saying,” he says. “But you can trust all the women who come on screen. That’s the thing in this film.”

Faasil believes the script’s strength lies in its subtle complexities. “I think it’s a very well-written film. This is the story I heard, and I’m happy and excited to see how people react to it.”

While the actor is no stranger to scale, having headlined massive hits like Vikram (2022), he admits that it’s projects like Maareesan that creatively fulfil him. “This is a small space, and I love that space,” he says. “It’s not at all the film people are expecting. I’m only hoping it’s better than what they’re expecting. And when you have opportunities to do films like this in Tamil, I’ll die for it.”

Watch out for our full interview with the actor, dropping soon on The Hollywood Reporter India's YouTube channel.