Like to be called a dreamer: ‘I’m a Mallu’ fame Rinosh George talks about film debut

In an interview with TNM, Rinosh George opens up about how his debut film ‘Nonsense’ happened and how he prepared for his role.
Like to be called a dreamer: ‘I’m a Mallu’ fame Rinosh George talks about film debut
Like to be called a dreamer: ‘I’m a Mallu’ fame Rinosh George talks about film debut
Written by:

You’re not likely to recognise him if he walks past you or if you hear his name. But if you have heard the viral rap music video “I’m a Mallu”, then you’ll know we’re talking about “the boy from Bengaluru who is holding the Mallu torch”.

Rinosh George has come a long way since his days as a DJ. Excited after the trailer release of his debut feature film Nonsense, Rinosh is now waiting patiently for the film to hit the screens, which is expected to be in July.

Talking to TNM from his home in Bengaluru, Rinosh is a relaxed man. “When the film releases next month, it’s going to be the end of a 6-year-wait,” says Rinosh.

Starting off his career in 2009 as a professional DJ, Rinosh has come a long way to finally getting a chance to act in a feature film. “Whether it was being a DJ or producing a music video, or for that matter even acting in movies, I have only done the things I love,” he says.

Rinosh first came into the spotlight in 2015 after the release of his music video “This is Bengaluru”.

“I had done 2 to 3 music videos before, but nothing worked out,” he says.

Talking about his entry into the film industry, Rinosh says, “The discussions about this film have been happening for the past six years, ever since film director MC Jithin directed my first ever music video ‘Believe’.”

“At that time, Jithin had told me that the story he has in mind revolves around the life of a teenager,” recalls Rinosh, jokingly adding that he had in fact been a teenager back then!

“We would have started making the movie six years ago had we found a producer back then,” says Rinosh, who goes on to add that most producers were reluctant to take it up because there were no stars in it.

“Some of the producers did like the script but they were not willing to take the risk of producing a movie without a star or a known face,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rinosh continued to pursue his passion for music and in 2015, came up with the music video “This is Bengaluru”, which went on to become popular among a certain section of the Bengaluru youth.

“That video got me some amount of fame in Bangalore circles but it was not enough to get producers to bank on our film as I was still an unknown face in Kerala,” said Rinosh.

Rinosh recollects that he was waiting for a break after “This is Bengaluru” when his friend suggested that he do a music video on Malayalees.

“Since I was looking to make a mark among the Kerala audience and get producers to sit up and notice me, I decided to go ahead with this idea and that’s how “I’m a Mallu” happened,” says Rinosh.

The trick did indeed work and the video went on become a viral hit, not just among Malayalis but even among Kannadigas, Tamilians and Telugu people.

“The producers noticed me so much that they said that I look mature in the video, so they weren’t convinced that I would be able to pull off the role of a teenager in the movie,” laughs Rinosh.

With the number of producers rejecting the script increasing every day, Rinosh decided to take up a job in Dubai as a radio jockey.

“The job paid me well and at that moment, all I wanted was to support my family,” he says.

It was while working in Dubai that Malayalam film producer Johny Sagariga showed interest in Rinosh’s work and offered him a script to work with.

“I used this opportunity to tell him about MC Jithin’s film that I’d been wanting to be a part of but couldn’t because of not being able to find a producer,” says Rinosh.

Following this, a meeting between director MC Jithin and Johny Sagariga was arranged. “After the meeting was over, I received a picture on WhatsApp in which Johny sir was seen handing over the advance cheque to Jithin!” says an emotional Rinosh.

“That very moment, much to the dismay of my parents, I quit my job as an RJ and came back to Kerala to start the shoot,” says Rinosh, adding that after the release of the trailer, his parents are quite happy now.

Nonsense is special for Rinosh, not just because it is his first feature film but also because this is the first Indian film about BMX riders.

“This film deals with a different side of cycling, one that is unknown to many,” says Rinosh, who goes on to say that they had to bring in a trainer from Mumbai to train him in BMX cycle riding.

“I trained for BMX riding for over a month,” he adds.

When asked what he would like to be known as, given the fact that he is a DJ, a music producer, an RJ and now an actor, Rinosh says he would like to be known as a “dreamer”!

“I’m someone who likes to move forward chasing my dreams,” he says smiling.

Watch the trailer here:

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com