Basil Joseph REVEALS he was not first choice for dark comedy Ponman; find out who the makers preferred

Basil Joseph recently delivered a promising hit with his dark comedy Ponman. And now the Malayalam star reveals he was not the first choice of actor for the same.

By Srijony Das

Published on Feb 13, 2025 | 10:53 AM IST | 6.8K

Basil Joseph says he was not 1st choice for his dark comedy Ponman: ‘They were planning…’ (PC: Basil Joseph on IG, X)

Basil Joseph has lately emerged as one of the most versatile actors in Malayalam cinema. The actor-turned-director paved the way for his success with films like Sookshmadarshini, Pravinkoodu Shappu, Ajayante Randam Moshanam and others. And now, after his recent theatrical release Ponman, which turned out to be a big hit, the actor revealed an interesting anecdote about the dark comedy.

In an interview with India Today Digital, Basil revealed that the makers of Ponman did not approach him first for the role. They first approached Fahadh Faasil for the same. However, due to a clash of dates for the actor, he stepped out and Basil was roped in.

Sharing all about it, Basil said, “They were planning for Fahadh Faasil in the beginning. Then he had some date issues, so it came to me after that. So, it was also very challenging for me to do a role that was initially planned for such a great actor.”

He highlighted that the movie turned out to be a completely different version, something that he created with his skills.

In his words, “He would have done a much different version. Every actor pulls it off in a different way, in their own style.” Basil shared that he has created his version of the character. The actor even expressed that Fahadh might have done it “differently” and “maybe better.” He concluded, saying that the Pushpa 2 actor is “a better actor for sure."

At the end of the interview, Basil was asked whether he felt different about being the second choice of actor for any movie. To this, he highlighted that not just for Ponman, but for some of his other films as well, he has not been the first choice.

Nonetheless, since the projects have ultimately landed on his plate, he primarily focused on what the story and character have to say and nothing more.