Interview | Shyam Mohan Reveals How He Pulled Off Hari's Devastating Climax Act In Bethlehem Kudumba Unit
Talking to ETV Bharat correspondent Akhil Vinayak, Shyam Mohan opens up about his role in Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Chakyar Koothu, and his journey after Premalu.
By ETV Bharat Entertainment Team
Published : September 1, 2026 at 5:26 PM IST
There is a certain quality to Girish A.D.'s films. The hero and heroine may lead the story, but there is often another character who quietly walks away with the audience's attention. Mamitha Baiju's character in Super Sharanya and Shyam Mohan's Aadhi in Premalu are good examples.
Now, with Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Shyam Mohan has once again found himself at the centre of conversations. This time, it is Hari, a character who takes over the film's climax in a manner that is difficult to forget. In fact, Hari's actions in the climax are so unexpected that Shyam himself describes the sequence as a major risk taken by director Girish A D.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, the Premalu fame actor opened up about Hari, the making of the climax, his preparation for the role and his journey after the success of Premalu. For Shyam, the appreciation for Hari comes at an important point in his career. After Premalu, he had to deal with the pressure of being remembered for Aadhi while waiting for another role that could give him enough space to perform.
"I am very happy," he says about the response to Hari. After Premalu, this is the first time he has seen audiences discuss and directly appreciate one of his characters on such a scale again. But he is careful not to get carried away by the success. According to him, the celebration around a character lasts only until the next successful film arrives. For him, the focus is therefore on finding good characters rather than simply doing more films.
However, that wait was not easy. Despite having acted in several films, Shyam felt he was still in a survival phase. After Premalu, he received opportunities in Telugu cinema and completed two films, but Malayalam cinema did not immediately offer him another Aadhi-like role. There was a point when he began wondering whether filmmakers had started seeing him only in insignificant supporting parts. That was when Girish A D called him for Bethlehem Kudumba Unit.
Interestingly, Shyam was not initially part of the film. When he saw the posters, he genuinely wished that he could be a part of it. A film directed by Girish and starring Nivin Pauly was, in itself, a dream opportunity. The call eventually came. And with it came Hari. Unlike Aadhi, Hari was not a character Shyam Mohan could neatly define or prepare for. "I actually don't really understand Hari completely," he admits.
There was no elaborate preparation. Instead, the actor followed Girish's instructions and allowed the character to take shape during the shoot. Sometimes, even unexpected reactions became part of Hari. He remembers a scene in which Hari rides a bike and gives a secret smile. Shyam was unsure about it and later asked Girish if there was a problem with the expression. The director simply told him that the smile worked.
That trust became even more important during the climax. The climax of Bethlehem Kudumba Unit gives Hari an unusually large space to perform, especially considering the film has a big cast and Nivin Pauly as its central star. For Shyam, being given such a responsibility was itself a big deal. What makes the sequence even more striking is how unpredictable it is.
The film does not take the conventional route of ending with the hero simply defeating the villain. Instead, the climax moves in an unexpected direction, with Hari becoming almost uncontrollable. Shyam says that only after watching the film did he fully realise how much of a risk Girish had taken. During the shoot, however, he did not overthink it. After every shot, he would go back to the director and ask whether it worked. If Girish said "okay", that was enough.
The physical demands were equally intense. There was a sequence involving a well, and Shyam Mohan did not use a body double. The production team even created a special well for the jumping shot. During one attempt, he hit his head and body and suffered minor injuries. Another portion, where he is seen lying in the water, was filmed in a real well. Then came the physical exhaustion of the climax. A shot may last only a few seconds on screen, but Shyam had to repeat the action multiple times. He recalls repeatedly running towards the crowd for a sequence that eventually appears as a brief moment in the film. For him, however, the exhaustion was worth it.
The climax also features Chakyar Koothu, an art form Shyam was not deeply familiar with. He had seen it before but had never formally trained in it. He even asked Girish whether he should learn the art from an expert. Instead, he watched several Chakyar Koothu performances online and studied the form. His previous experience with mimicry also helped him understand some of its elements. Kalamandalam Abhimanyu played an important role in the sequence. He performed the mizhau and helped Shyam with the Chakyar Koothu portions. Shyam listened to the material repeatedly before the shoot and followed Girish's guidance throughout.
It is a different experience from creating Aadhi in Premalu. Aadhi may look like a character close to Shyam's own personality, but the actor says that is far from the truth. He had to work extensively on Aadhi's urban mannerisms. His corporate job and years spent in Mumbai helped him understand certain aspects of the character, while Girish ensured that he did not go overboard with the performance.
Hari, on the other hand, was much more instinctive. And perhaps that is why the character feels so unpredictable. Shyam's own journey has also been far from predictable. He made his screen debut as a child actor in Kilukkam, but later moved towards banking and eventually returned to acting full-time. Premalu changed the scale of recognition he received. Now, with Hari, he has another character that audiences are talking about.
But Shyam Mohan is not looking at it as a destination. For an actor trying to establish himself in the Malayalam film industry, he knows that one successful character is never enough. The next challenge is to find another role that makes filmmakers and audiences believe that he can do more.
