Fan before Empuraan hype; Pulimurugan-fan becomes Mohanlal's 'kitchen boy' | VIDEO

KOCHI: Four years of waiting... finally, 'Pulimurugan' came and held him close. Chantu Nayik, a tea shop employee, is making his Malayalam debut as a kitchen boy alongside Mohanlal in the Sathyan Anthikad film 'Hridayapoorvam'. Some parts with Lal were shot in Kochi. Further shooting with dialogues will be done in the coming days.

This 23-year-old left his home state and came to Kerala four years ago to act in a film after becoming a fan of 'Puli Murugan'. Chantu says that he first met his beloved actor on the sets. Mohanlal held him close and asked him about his family and what all dishes he could cook.

Meanwhile, he also got an invitation to a Tamil film. After completing Hridayapurvam, Chantu plans to settle in Kerala permanently.

Cinema obsessed;​ quit studies

Chantu is the son of farmers Kailash Naik and Runu Naik. Even after quitting his studies in the eighth grade to help his father, his mind was full of cinema. He saw 'Puli Murugan' on his mobile. With that, he became a fan of Mohanlal. It wasn't long before he left for Kerala. He searched for Lalettan in many places, but he couldn't reach him. No one helped. He learnt all kinds of jobs, including washing dishes at a tea shop near Fort Kochi. He also learnt to speak Malayalam. In the meantime, he got an opportunity to participate in a reality show in Mumbai. After winning it, he got the opportunity to show his face in two of Salman Khan's films. He also did a small role in the Hindi serial Radhakrishna. In the meantime, producer Antony Perumbavoor's wife called him. She said that the crew of a new film would call him. Then everything happened suddenly.

"I have seen many of Mohanlal's films. He is the most super in Pulimurugan. I want to play villain roles. Mammootty and Dileep are my other favourite actors in Malayalam."

- Chantu Nayik