Malayali Cinema’s ‘Poster’ Boy: Actor Arun Ajikumar on Making Creatives for ‘Tumbbad 2’ and ‘Alpha’ (EXCLUSIVE)

With his performances in recent Malayalam hits, like “Dies Irae,” “Sarvam Maya” and “Padakkalam,” actor Arun Ajikumar has become a popular figure among young Malayalis. Equally popular is his poster design company, Aesthetic Kunjamma, which has drawn attention and appreciation for its contributions to films like “Patriot,” “Bramayugam” and “Lokah: Chapter One – Chandra.”

In an interview with Variety India, the young actor spoke about his upcoming projects, which include creating posters for Bollywood's eagerly awaited movies like “Alpha” and “Tumbbad 2."

Talking about how this poster work from Bollywood came his way, the young actor says, “I am pleased that these directors have acknowledged our work and chosen to collaborate with us on these projects. The people behind ‘Tumbbad 2’ came to us after seeing our work in ‘Dies Irae’ and ‘Bramayugam.’ To get a deeper understanding of the film, Arun shares that he and his team got the opportunity to visit the ‘Tumbbad 2’ set for around five days and had in-depth discussions with the filmmakers. He adds that, like any “Tumbbad” fan, he is excited to see the magic the makers put together for the big-screen cinematic experience.

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For the Alia Bhatt and Sharvari film "Alpha", Arun says that the film's producers wanted to brand the film in a different, more global manner. “Among the YRF spy action thriller series, I think ‘Alpha’ has a fresh and intriguing narrative, premise and style. Instead of providing too many inputs, the ‘Alpha’ team had encouraged us to think about poster ideas in a free space," he says.

Arun says that the majority of the posters' references are taken directly from the respective movies. For example, the red and blue hues in “Dies Irae” and the black-and-white aspect of “Bramayugam” were effectively employed in the posters for these films. “With the advent of A.I., anyone is capable of creating great visuals or images, but the primary focus of Aesthetic Kunjamma is on how we can be different. The audience's exposure to a wide variety of content drives us to give something distinctive that will grab their attention.”

There’s more in the pipeline for his creative venture as the job of designing posters for Amal Neerad's “Bachelor Party D'EUX,”  Prithviraj Sukumaran's “Khalifa” and Rashmika Mandanna's “Mysaa”  is already in its kitty.