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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Impressive debutante-Sheela





Sheela has earned a name as a talented actress with the release of MAYA BAZAAR, her debut film in Malayalam opposite Mammootty. KK Moidu writes

The celebrity heroine from the neighbouring state, Sheela, has made her debut in Malayalam cinema playing superstar Mammootty's heroine in Maya Bazaar. The pretty actress with a girl-next-door image, comely smile and gorgeous looks has emoted well and won rave reviews for her performance in the recently released film. Sheela won the hearts of the audience with her role as a tea shop girl, Maya, in the film. She was blessed with a dream debut opposite Mammootty, the front line hero of the Malayalam film industry. Most of the heroines from the Malayalam industry are shifting their base to Tamil and Telugu films for higher remuneration. The lack of heroines in the Malayalam industry compels film makers to cast leading ladies from other states. Established heroines and newcomers are making their debut in Malayalam films and they are succeeding in winning the hearts of the audience. But these heroines do not continue for long and soon disappear, disappointing their fans. Although Sheela is a newcomer in the Malayalam industry, the charming actress is not facing the arc lights primarily. She is not only a busy heroine of Tamil and Telugu films, she is also a strong competitor for the top slot position. The former child artiste made her debut in Illavattam directed by AR Raja opposite Navadeep. She played an important role in Vijay T Rajendar's Veerasamy. Her meaty roles opposite young heroes like Prasanna and Allu Arjun in Cheena Thana and Parugu respectively made her a favourite among the youngsters. Sheela's pairing opposite young heroes in big banner films made her noticeable in the industry. Although Sheela is a reputable heroine of the industry, she never had the luck to pair opposite senior South Indian heroes like Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Vijayakanth, Sarath Kumar, Arjun etc. But finally lady luck smiled on the actress and she plays the love interest of cutting-edge actor Mammootty in Maya Bazaar. Pairing opposite a versatile actor like Mammootty is a dream for every actress and it is a rare opportunity for her to acquire new skills in acting. Maya Bazaar was not released in 'A' centres following the controversy in the Malayalam film industry between the Kerala Film Producers Association and Film Exhibitors Association. The decision of Kerala Film Producers Association for showing the new releases in maximum centres in the first week and the Film Exhibitors association's disagreement to the move is the reason for the controversy. But the makers of the film succeeded in screening the film in government owned theatres in major cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Thrissur. A few other 'A' centres in Alleppey and Attingal also screened the film. Maya Bazaar was released on the occasion of Eid in 'B' and 'C' class theatres with house-full shows. However, Mammootty did not disappoint his fans like the other superstar of Malayalam films, Mohanlal. He failed to satisfy his fans by not releasing the big budget war film Kurukshethra on Eid day. The film, directed by Major Ravi, was planned as a festival release and the fans of the hero were disappointed without a new release from their favourite hero. Megastar Mammootty treated his fans with a colourful entertainer Maya Bazaar. Sheela plays the role of Maya in the film, a charming girl besotted with the courageous and freaky-haired heroe's designer attire. Mammootty dons a larger than life hero's role in the film as Rameshan with a silver ear-ring. He is a scrap dealer in the market 'Maya Bazaar' in Mayannoor, where the scrap or parts of worn out vehicles are sold. Rameshan is a favourite for everybody in the market and he buys useless vehicles at for cheap and sells the parts. He is the son of Akri Damodaran, who migrated to Maya Bazaar of Mayannoor from another town Cherppulasserry. Rameshan is different from his rival gang of Bhadran played by Kalabhavan Mani, who unnecessarily creates problems for others. He helps the poor and needy and regularly supplies lunch to ailing patients in the nearby hospital. The lead character is inspired from the real-life story of a philanthropist who used to give food to poor patients. Maya Bazaar is the maiden directorial venture of Thomas Sebastian and is produced by Saji S Mangalath under the banner of Akhil Cinema. Manoj Pillai is the cinematographer and Prashanth Madhav is the art director. Bijith Balla Edits the film and Rahul Raj is the composer. The story, penned by Govind-Ramdas, is scripted to suit the screen by TA Razack. Salim Kumar, Suraj Venjaramoodu, TG Ravi, Lalu Alex, Biju Kuttan, Anoop Chandran etc. plays important roles in the film. Stardust Best Supporting Actress Award winner Tisca Chopra of Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par fame is the other heroine of the film. Although the film was not released in all the 'A' theatres, the collections from 'B' and 'C' centres continues. This will definitely make Sheela the most popular actress of the industry and one to watch out for.

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