ACTOR NASAR'S ECO FARM HOUSE
From an actor to an architect
Actor Nasser talks about his interest in architecture and interior-designing as A. SHRIKUMAR catches up with him at a farm house in Cumbum
When I heard that Actor Nasser is in Cumbum designing a farm house for a friend of his, I took a while to assimilate the information, as wacky as it sounded. We all know the ‘actor Nasser’ but behind the silver screen, the accomplished character artiste is much more including an avid art lover, an architect and an interior-designer.
Inside an under-construction building at the foothills of the verdant Meghamalai, the 58-year-old celebrity trundles with the enthusiasm of a kid. Donning a carefree look with denim capris and a buttoned-down linen shirt, he picks up the mason’s trowel, scoops out some wet cement and makes patterns on the brick wall. Shaping broken tiles with a hand machine, he gets candid on his love for the brick and mortar. “I am supposed to be shooting now. My call sheets are so full and this is an escape from the routine,” he winks. “The love for art was always there. I found an opportunity in architecture to express my artistic side and here’s the result of it.”
It all started a decade ago, when Nasser came across an old discarded ‘ammi kal’by the road side. “I was fascinated by the shape and the texture of the stone. It somehow made me realize that I have an eye for forms and shapes. I started collecting ammis and now there are over 200 of these at my house.” Ever since, the junk yards have been his regular haunts. “Whenever I shoot at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, I visit the scarp yard nearby, spend hours collecting broken wooden planks, rusted iron bars and anything that captures my attention. While shooting for Saivam at a Chettinad palace, I went around picking up limestone pieces that had peeled off the walls.”
At his ‘living space’ named ‘Koothankudil’ in his native town Chengalpet, Nasser has built a separate room to house his collections and a modest bedroom measuring just 6 x 15ft. The space is given a boho-chic feel with the wooden pieces of cart-wheels for mirror frames, rusted hinges used for door handles, concrete blocks and wooden planks from a demolished house forming the steps and switch boards. The one-acre compound is called ‘Kazhani’ and is designed on the concept of ‘art from waste’.
Inspired by the techniques of Laurie Baker, Nasser believes in simple earthy yet captivating spaces. “I think it’s a waste of money and resources to construct buildings with extensive decorations and unnecessary reinforcements, when there are easier, smarter and cost-effective ways of construction,” he says. “Once I shot at Laurie Baker’s house in Vagamon and was taken aback by the simplicity of the design.”
The 1150sq.ft farm house at Cumbum is Nasser’s first project for an individual client and is a cost-effective building. “We have sourced all the materials locally. The concept is going back to basics, where we are leaving the floors cemented with no tiles, the walls will not be plastered except for mud-plastering at few places,” says Nasser. The walls are built using the rat-trap bond method which consumes nine bricks per square-meter instead of 12 in the conventional method. “It leaves a hollow space in the walls, thus keeping the interiors cool.” The ceiling is made with single lines of iron reinforcements and the quantity of concrete is reduced by 40 per cent. Earthen pots and clay lamps are embedded from top, which adds to the aesthetics apart from its functionality. “We have used over 500 pots and lamps, the volume of the pots saves as much concrete, distributes the weight equally to the periphery walls and acts as an insulation also,” explains P. Raghuram, the engineer who assists Nasser in his projects. “The cost of the ceiling gets greatly reduced in this method. For something that would otherwise cost over Rs.4,00,000, we have finished it in just Rs.24,000.”
Two decades ago when the actor built his residence at Valasaravakkam in Chennai, his friend Vaidyanathan suggested him the design and later architect Sudheer from Peoples Architecture inspired him. In every space Nasser designs, he gives his unique touch by getting down to the field, doodling with his fingers on the wet clay or doing bits of masonry himself. “I have done a myriad of roles on screen. But, I see this venture as a vent for my artistic self. It gives me peace, solace, happiness and I feel good and nice, soiling my hands with clay, cement and paint,” he smiles. “I see designing as a hobby and not a profession.”
As the president of South Indian Artistes’ Association, Nasser is also designing some sections of the proposed Nadigar Sangam building. “It will be a vast complex with various elements. I am personally planning to construct a 60-feet long wall with ramped-earth. As a mark of respect to the doyens of cinema and theatre such as Thiagaraja Bhagavathar, P.U. Chinnappa, Sankaradas Swamigal and others, sand from their native villages will be used in the construction. We will also bring a handful of mud from all the southern states, symbolizing the unity of the Sangam.” At present, Nasser is shooting for the Telugu remake of Thani Oruvan, after successfully completing his role in Kabali. “I play the well-wisher of Rajini in Kabali,” says Nasser.
