Actor Pappu Pom Pom along with actress Debjani at the music release event of Rangila Toka in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 15: He is undoubtedly the biggest and the unmatched king of comedy in the state. The audience here simply can’t seem to get enough of his witticisms and repartee.

But after five years in the “laughathon” business — Satyaprakash Satpathy — better known as Pappu Pom Pom, is more than eager to revamp his avatar.

He may not have the so-called charming looks of a hero nor does he flaunt a physique to die for, but Paapu Pom Pom is a superstar in his own right. Banking on the star’s ever-increasing popularity, producers of Rangila Toka have cast Pappu as the lead in this upcoming flick.

Dressed in a bright kurta during the music launch for Rangila Toka, Paapu never looked happier. He even shed a tear as he recounted his days of struggle.

“I always knew I could make to the top, but my tiny frame nearly washed away my dreams. However, I guess my stars are lucky and I am finally a hero,” said the actor.

Pappu, who has always featured as a hero’s sidekick in films, confessed of being tired of playing the clichéd “hero’s best friend” time and again. He said: “Comedians in today’s films have been relegated to either the hero’s friend or servant, which I do not approve of. That is why I have stopped working in films that offer these roles.”

“I agreed to do the film because Rangila Toka portrays me as the lead. It is time the Odia film industry recognises the power of comedy as the crowd puller for a film. Comedians should be given their credit now.”

Comedy is Pappu’s heart and soul and he has wisely chosen a film that is full-on comedy. He plays the role of Shibu, a “roadside Romeo” and a tout, who sells movie tickets in the black market. The story revolves around how he falls in love with a billionaire’s sister and then struggles to win his true love.

“Apart from comedy, I also have some emotional scenes, fights and dance sequences. Dance and fighting scenes are new to me. In fact, once we had to shoot for eight consecutive days of dance and fight sequences in torrid conditions. Much to my embarrassment, I fell ill and was hospitalised for a few days,” said Pappu.

Pappu admitted to having a gala time shooting for the song and dance sequences with actress Debjani.

His favourite of the five songs in the film is Lipstick wali paar karega composed by Abhijit Majumdar. He was also seen dancing to a few of the peppy songs such as Rangila Toka, Sajani Sajani, To Akhire from the film.

He has a couple of films in the pipeline but television remains his first love and he vows never to leave the small screen. Rangila Toka is slated for a Rakhi release.