Priest quits church to pursue acting

A Catholic priest in Kerala quit his clerical position to pursue his passion for acting.

Johnson Karoor, 36, allegedly faced objections for acting in a Malayalam film `Nirakkazhcha' (Waves of Colour) that was released recently.

Karoor, however, denied he was under pressure and said he quit the order "for his own reasons".

"It was my own decision to go out. I have been thinking about it for a long time before taking the decision," Johnson told PTI over phone.

Karoor served as a priest in the Malankara Catholic Church for about 10 years. He admitted that he could not further dedicate to priesthood, as he wants to pursue his "education and acting".

In Nirakkazhcha, directed by debutant Anish J. Karnad, Karoor befriends an Italian painter who visits Kerala to recreate the magnificent Raja Ravi Varma paintings and falls in love with a model.

The same director has already cast Karoor in the next film `Criminal Love'. Karoor said he wants to act in more films in the future

Karoor has PG degrees in philosophy, psychology and public administration. Apart from being an actor, Karoor is a singer and a TV anchor.