Kochi: One look at the poster of ‘Aanandam’ and the joy of youth permeates through and you break into a smile. The movie directed by Ganesh Raj and produced by Vineeth Srinivasan tells the story of seven engineering students and the friendship that flourishes into a strong bond during a trip.

“It is not always you get to play yourself,” says Roshan Mathews, who portrays Gautham, a confident young man who suffers an identity crisis at some point. But if you thought that it is yet another run-of-the mill youthful love story, you’re in for a surprise. ‘Aanandam’ is riveting, with a fresh theme and a coming-of-age story told with conviction.

“The strength of the movie is its character selection,” says Roshan, as he gives us a peek into how the seven of them were selected from an audition of 495 youth from different colleges. “None of us knew each other but we connected with each other seamlessly,” says the actor, whose earlier films were ‘Puthiya Mukham’ and ‘Adi Kappyaare Koottamanni’, which showed off his range as villain and a funny lover boy respectively.

After a degree in physics from MCC Chennai, Roshan trained as a theatre artist at the Bombay School of Art, and is waiting to show off his acting prowess in more meaty roles.