KUALA LUMPUR: After getting his first acting break in an international film production, Kabali, alongside Indian superstar Rajinikanth, film producer and actor Datuk Rosyam Nor is down for another Kollywood production.
“I got this offer after being referred to by the Kabali team in Chennai, India,” said the 49-year-old, who is set to play an antagonist role and a Chinese character to boot.
“In this suspense thriller, I will be speaking in Chinese of course,” he said, adding that filming would begin in September in India.
However, this is not the first time Rosyam utters dialogue in a language he doesn’t speak a word of.
In Kabali, which is slated to open on Friday worldwide on July 22 (with the Malay-dubbed version to be released the following week), Rosyam plays the character Legau, a gangster and an enemy of the titular character Kabali played by Rajinikanth).
To ensure his delivery of the Tamil language sounds convincing, he made sure he memorised his dialogue.
“While I don’t speak the language, I didn't find it much of a problem to do so. The script was romanised and translated for me.
"Of course, there were people on the set who’d be assisting me in how to ‘speak’ Tamil properly. There were at least 13 assistant directors on the film set,” recounted Rosyam of his experience filming Kabali.
Other Malaysian stars in Kabali include Norman Hakim and Zack Taipan.
Meanwhile, veteran actor Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan lent his voice for the Malay-dubbed version.
“Besides the chance to act together with the superstar, it was a good opportunity for me to expand my career overseas.
“It’s another feather in my cap. Who would’ve guessed at my age I’d be getting an opportunity like this?” said Rosyam, who has received a string of awards throughout his long career, including Best Supporting Actor Role award at the 44th Asia Pacific Film Festival in 1999.