'Women are more successful in films than men'

'Women use acting as a way to protect themselves.'

This interview with the legendary actor Nedumudi Venu, who passed into the ages on October 11, 2021, Nedumudi Venu needs no introduction to those familiar with quality cinema. He made his mark in a variety of films, ranging from the trite to the extraordinary, exploring a range far wider than most of his contemporaries have. Shobha Warrier met him at his residence, Thampu, in Thiruvananthapuram. Incidentally, it was with G Aravindan's Thampu that he first entered films. The final segment of a multi-part memorable interview:

PART I: 'In the city, you see only masked human beings'

PART II: 'The artist in me does get dissatisfied'

PART III: 'Popular cinema gives you security in life' Is is not the thrill of an artist, but the thrill of an art lover?

No, you cannot separate both. Even I do not know where the artist in me ends and the art lover in me starts. I may act in real life too, perhaps unknowingly, I may not even know whether I am acting or not. Both merge so well that the individual also will not know.

You mean you cannot separate the artist Nedumudi Venu and the individual Nedumudi Venu even in real life...

Yes, you cannot draw a line and separate both, because one merges into another.

Then, as an individual won't you feel any conflict inside, at least sometimes?

We should not let that happen.

You said sometimes you might act in real life too. I was talking about such situations.