Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 2 (IANS): Popular film director Thulasidas is the latest to join in the list of film personalities who have moved from behind the camera to facing it. He has donned the greasepaint to act in a serial titled "Parumala Thirumeni", which he himself will direct.

Thulasidas plays the character of the St. Gregorios Geevarghese, popularly known as Parumala Thirumeni, said to be the first canonised Christian saint from India.

Other directors who have faced the camera earlier include cinematographer Santosh Sivan and directors Renjith and Renji Panicker.

Thulasidas, who has directed 34 films, told IANS that they failed to get an apt actor in the mould of the original Parumala Thirumeni.

"Then I decided, why not play the role myself," he said.

"It was with a doubt, if I could fit in, that I sat before my make-up man and after a few hours, when I stood up in full make-up and the robes similar to that of the Thirumeni, everyone said, the search can end. That's how I became an actor," said Thulasidas, whose last bilingual directorial "Girls" in Tamil and Malayalam, did well at the box office.

Parumala Thirumeni, who was born in 1848 and died in 1902, is the most revered bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church , headquartered in Kottayam.

Today, the Parumala church located near Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta distirct, where the Saint's tomb is placed, is the most popular pilgrimage centre, not just for Christians, but for people from other religions too.

"We have completed a pilot project of ten episodes and we have started talks with the Manorama TV channel for airing it and for taking it forward," said Thulasidas.