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Rajmohan unnithan
THE REBEL Congress leader, Rajmohan Unnithan, is elated. Close on the heels of the director, Shaji Kalias, offering him a role in his latest film `Brand', prominent directors like Satyan Anthikad and Renjith have encouraged Mr. Unnithan to take up acting as a profession.

"Recently, I happened to share the dais with Mammootty, Satyan Anthikad and Renjith at a public function in Thrissur. Muraleedharan was expected to chair the function, but he did not turn up. I started my speech with a request to Mammootty that being a `hero', he should protect me from my political foes. The quip went down well with the audience. Satyan Anthikad and Renjith later told me that I should not stop with just one film," Mr. Unnithan said.

Mr. Unnithan is happy that the two directors had spotted his talent. They had also told him that they had closely watched him during his press conference and found that he had the skills of an actor.

"Acting is not mere gift of the gab, but a skill that comes from a serious observation of life and all around. Being active in politics for the past 35 years, I have seen life in all its colours and come across various kinds of characters. So I feel I have the potential for performing well on the stage or on screen," he says.

Mr. Unnithan pointed out that he is not the first politician to enter the tinsel world. "The Transport Minister, R. Balakrishna Pillai, the former Minister, V.Viswanatha Menon, and the late Congress leader, Kottara Gopalakrishnan, had acted in cinema much earlier. K.B.Ganesh Kumar, MLA, has proved his worth as an actor and politician. Now, I think it is my turn," he says.

When Shaji Kailas contacted him, Mr. Unnithan had made only one request - that politics is his mainstay and the character, though that of a villain, should not harm his image in politics. Mr. Shaji had readily agreed and promised to discuss the character and storyline thoroughly with Mr. Unnithan.

Once he announced his decision to take up acting, the UDF convener, Oommen Chandy, had been the first to congratulate him. "Oommen Chandy called me and said he was sure I would make an indelible imprint on cinema too," gloats Mr. Unnithan.

During his college days, Mr. Unnithan used to act in amateur as well as professional plays. "I had acted with Mukesh in the one-act play `Thuruthu', directed by Mayyanad Shahudeen. I was also a regular in the dramas staged by S.V.Arts Club and Jawahar Club in my native village, Kilikolloor, in Kollam. The play, `Water Gate' was staged in at least 75 stages. Again, acting in P.J.Antony's `Thuramukhom' was a novel experience," he recalls.

Even if he gets busy in the tinsel world, Mr. Unnithan says that he would continue to be active in politics. During the past 35 years, he had not earned anything from politics, but money has now become imperative to earn power and position. "The money I earn from cinema will be used to expose the corrupt elements in politics, not to obtain power and position," he says.

Mr. Unnithan