Expanding horizons: Ananya

Ayilya aka Ananya, who made her debut in the Malayalam film Positive, pairs with Sasikumar in her maiden Tamil venture Nadodikal. KK Moidu writes

Nadodikal

Although VK Prakash’s Positive didn’t receive positive response from the audience, the heroine of the film Ananya was noticed by the industry. She was flooded with offers not only from her home turf, but also from neighbouring states. Now she is pairing opposite Jayaram as one of the heroines in the forthcoming Malayalam film Rahasya Police directed by K Madhu. However, one-film-fame Ananya has had enough luck to make her Tamil film debut as a heroine in Nadodikal. Her male lead of the film is director/writer/actor/producer Sasikumar. Earlier, he was an assistant to Bala and Ameer and had proved his mettle as an actor/director in Subramaniyapuram, a quality entertainer with lesser known faces. Nadodikal has already gained the attention of the industry because of its realistic story, talented hero and its enthusiastic director. Samudrakani, who played the villain in Subramaniyapuram, directs Nadodikal. The film is based on the lives of four friends whose lives change forever after a shocking incident. Ananya plays a village girl named Nallamma in Nadodikal. She doesn’t know much about the modern world. Her character possesses its own mannerisms. Ananya GK Nair was born on March 29, 1988 in Perumbavoor. She is the daughter of VN Gopalakrihsnan Nair and Praseetha G Nair. She completed her Plus Two from Government Higher Secondary School in Perumbavoor and is currently doing her BA in Communicative English. She is a State champion in archery and is a national sportsperson. She won several prizes in school and college for her participation in kadhaprasangam, mono act, dance and music.

Excerpts from her email interview

Tell us about your debut film and how it happened.
I debuted as one of the heroines in Jayasoorya starrer Positive. I was selected for the role by the director VK Prakash and writer SN Swami, who watched my performance in the Kairali TV reality show Star Wars.
Did you groom yourself for a film career? I wished for it. I have entered the film industry at the age of eight as a child artiste in Vridhanmare Sookshikkuka. But I didn’t try much for it. As I began to get offers after Star Wars, I decided to go for it.
What has been your experience in film industry? As a beginner, so far it is very good, as I got to know what this career really means and how hard this job of acting is.
Tell us about your character in Rahasya Police? My character’s name is Bhama and I am one among the four heroines in Rahasya Police. I don the role of an investigator, but am basically a college student. It is a serious role and I am a bold character in it!
Which kind of roles you want to do in future? One that use my talents to the maximum. I like to avoid glamorous roles. I am interested in doing the classic type of movies, like what was enacted by Rekha, Revathi and Sobhana.
Your views on actress being used as glamour dolls? No comments, except that I don’t want to go for it!
How did you bag the role in Tamil film Nadodikal? They had a type of selection with more than 3,000 photos from all over South India. My photo was rejected initially as it was thought I was a fat girl. Later, they came to Kochi and happened to meet me. They were surprised I was not that fat as they thought and selected me for the heroine’s role.
How was Tamil filmdom? I don’t have words to explain how nice I feel there. May be it is because of the crew with which I worked. Sasikumar and Samudrakani were really very supportive and influence even my personal character. They made me realise that I have something worthy in me. They have always tried hard to tap the maximum talent of mine in every shot with their repeated encouragement. I became more serious in my film career after working with them.
Any difference between acting in Malayalam and Tamil? I think patience matters a lot. In Tamil, they wait patiently and retake shots for perfection. That, I didn’t ever see in Malayalam.
How do you choose your movies? Like everyone, I look into the character and how important is my role in the film. If the role suits me, I consider the costumes, as I am not ready to appear in revealing costumes.
Were your parents and family supportive of your film career? My parents were extremely supportive, whether it is for acting or any other thing. They want me to be happy and they will surely be with me in this career, until I take a decision to quit.
Does your family have any links with films? Yes, to a limit. My father was the producer of Pai Brothers and some family friends are also involved in film industry.
Did you ever try your luck on the mini-screen and modelling before your entry into filmdom? No. It got started only after my entry into the film industry. I am not really interested in the mini-screen but I do modelling in my free time. Did you dub your voice for the films? I didn’t dub my voice in Positive. But I am lending my voice to Nallamma for the first time in Nadodikal. It was a real experience for me.
To whom you give the credit of your success? To God Almighty first, then my parents, my friends and relatives, and to each crew I worked with.
Your favourite actor and actress? I don’t have a favourite actor or actress. It is their characters that matter to me. What are your future plans? To sustain myself in this industry as long as I can. And if time and luck allows, I wish to direct movies. Rest I leave to God.

Double delight: Jayaram

Jayaram, who made a strong comeback by portraying Sugunan in Veruthe Oru Bharya, dons a double role in Rahasya Police directed by K Madhu. KK Moidu writes
Jayaram teams up with senior director K Madhu after a long interval of nearly two decades in the forthcoming film Rahasya Police. Although K Madhu has contributed several hit films and Jayaram was one of the successful hero of that time, their earlier film Randaam Varavu bombed at the box office.
Jayaram plays a double role in Rahasya Police, one as a funny sub inspector Rajan and the other as a notorious gangster Chalai Mani. According to reports, Jayaram dons a third role in the film as a CBI Officer. The possibility of the CBI officer role can’t be ruled out because director K Madhu had created the successful investigative thriller Oru CBI Diarykurippu and its sequels Jagratha, Sethurama Iyer CBI and Nerariyan CBI with Mammootty in the lead. These were household name to the cinegoers of the State.

Samvrutha Sunil

Rahasya Police, a crime thriller, is scripted by SN Swamy, a favourite of K Madhu, who has teamed up with the director in many hits. The film features five heroines and they are By The People fame Mangala, Samvrutha Sunil, Sindhu Menon, Ayilya and Shivani. Siyad Kokker produces the action-based family drama under the banner of Kokkers films.

Aayilya

Once known as a safe star at the box office, Jayaram was going through a lean patch in his career. He bounced back as a family hero in the superhit Veruthe Oru Bharya directed by debutante Akku Akbar. The success of Veruthe Oru Bharya and Twenty Twenty earned him lead roles in reputed banners and lead director’s films. His recently released Bhagyadevatha was directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and Samastha Keralam PO was produced by Howly Pottur. He will also play the lead in forthcoming Purathekkulla Vazhi directed by TV Chandran.
Purathekkulla Vazhi is based on Kakkanadan’s novel Thulavarsham and it will be produced by CN Preman, Nizamudhin, Salim, Rajeev and Suku under the banner of Sangachithra.

Sindhu Menon

However, Jayaram, an expert in performing comedy and sentimental roles has succeeded in winning the hearts of family audience by portraying unemployed youth and other sympathetic roles with ease. He excelled in comedy roles because of his mimicry background. The talented actor’s films were performing well at the box office and his name was on the top list of actors in Malayalam films.
But things change with the entry of Dileep. He also had the same mimicry background and Dileep was repeatedly cast in sentimental and comedy roles, which would have naturally gone to Jayaram.
Directors like Rafi-Mecartin, who made hit films with Jayaram in the lead has started making films with Dileep in the lead and those films were hits at the box office.
Although Jayaram has acted in more than thirty Malayalam films in the last ten years, only few like Yathrakkarude Shradhakku, Manassinakkare, Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal etc. were the only hits at the box office. His attempt to deliver a superhit with his winning teammate Rajasenan in Madhuchandralekha with his lucky heroine Urvasi didn’t come upto the expectations, but Urvasi won the State award for best actress. Other Jayaram films like Novel, Sooryan, Anchil Oral Arjunan, Sarkar Dada, Pauran etc. were shattered at the box office.
But the surprise success of Veruthe Oru Bharya has given him a new chance in his career. The success of the film once again made him a hot property among the Malayalam audience. His recently released two films are Samastha Keralam PO and Bhagyadevatha. Samastha Keralam PO is a hilarious entertainer directed by Bipin Prabhakar based on the plot about the elections of a local Panchayath. Jayaram is playing the role of a Panchayath member in the film. Priyanka and debutante Sera are the heroines of the film.
Bhagyadevatha directed by Sathyan Anthikkad is declared a hit at the box office within few days of its release. Sathyan-Jayaram duo has earlier delivered hits like Mazhavilkaavadi, Thoovalkottaram, Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal, Manassinakkare etc.
Jayaram is pairing opposite Kanihaa in the family comedy entertainer Bhagyadevatha. Bhagyadevatha was released in 70 theatres and this is the first time in Kerala, a Jayaram film is making a wide release. The film is expected to be another superhit of the year. Bhagyadevatha is produced by MM Hamza under the banner of Kalasangam.
Jayaram, who has acted in more than 200 films in his more than two decades career, has never won a National or State Award for best actor. The success of his recently released films has given him the much-needed boost in his career. The actor can now definitely hope for a best actor award in TV Chandran’s Purathekkulla Vazhi.

Sparks of versatility: Anand Narayan

Singer-performer Anand Narayan was in Dubai recently to participate in Amrita TV’s 4th anniversary celebrations at Al Nasr Leisureland. KK Moidu met him

Although singer-performer and presenter Anand Narayan did not win the first prize as a participant in reality shows like Super Star Global and Idea Star Singer, he is more popular and successful than any of the participants from these shows today. He has made his mark as a presenter.
Anand was born in Thiruvananthapuram and completed his B.Tech degree in computer science from SCT College of Engineering. He first tasted being in the limelight as the presenter of Let's Dance, a highly popular dance reality show for couples, aired on Amrita TV. He was simultaneously working as a software engineer in Bangalore. Soon TV music reality shows like Voice Hunt, Super Star Global and Idea Star Singer catapulted him into the public eye, making him a household name overnight. His work as presenter also gave him a break as a playback singer and actor. Malayalam film Orkkuka Vallappozhum marks Anand’s debut as a playback singer. The song Mamboo Paadam is by him. His versatility is evident from the fact that he has sung a fast number, Sunday Sooryan, in the forthcoming Jayasoorya starrer Ivar Vivahitharayi.

Anand has a role in the Suresh Gopi starrer IG directed by B Unnikrishnan and is also anchoring Style Bhai, a show on men’s fashion currently being aired on Amrita TV. He has also made appearances as a presenter on Kiran TV and Asianet Plus. However, music is his forte and he has sung for many albums. At present, he has taken leave and is focusing on his career as a singer-artiste.
Excerpts:

Tell us about your musical background and family?

I started learning music at the age of 10 and was trained in the Hindustani and Carnatic styles by Perumbavoor G Ravindranath, Ramesh Narayan and Adoor Sudarsan.
My father Purushothaman is a manager at Titanium and mother Savithri is working with State Bank of Travancore. I have an elder sister and she is married.
How did you get interested in music?

I have been addicted to Vayalar poems since childhood. At school I won several prizes for poetry recitation, including the first prize at the State Youth Festival. After joining college, my interest in poetry gradually led me to a music career.

How did you manage music and engineering studies together?

I participated in light music competitions at college functions. The inspiration and support of my friends and family helped me to continue my studies and music together.

How did you get the opportunity to participate in TV music reality shows?

After completing my graduation, I was working in Bangalore as a software engineer. At that time I attended the audition of SS Music Voice Hunt. I also cleared the audition of Superstar Global and Idea Star Singer.

How did you get the opportunity to present Let's Dance?

I was one among the 21 final participants of Super Star Global aired on Amrita TV. When Amrita started the new programme Let's Dance I was selected as the host.
What was your experience as a host of Let's Dance like?

It was a very good experience in my career. It increased my confidence and gave me the opportunity to meet many celebrity guests present on the show. My dancing skills also improved during this time.
After presenting the programme, I received offers to perform on stage and present shows in India and abroad in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

How did you get the opportunity to sing for Orkkuka Vallappozhum?
Music director M Jayachandran was a judge at the Super Star Global and he gave me the opportunity to sing in the film.

You also made your film debut as an actor in IG, How did you get the role? Do you intend to continue your acting career in films?

I would like to continue my career as an actor. Director B Unnikrishnan, who was a celebrity guest at Let's Dance offered me the role in IG and he has a good opinion about my performance.

Tell us about your ongoing and future projects?

I am singing a fast number Sunday Sooryan in the forthcoming Jayasoorya starrer Ivar Vivahitharayi. I have completed a few albums and anchoring Style Bhai on Amrita TV.
I will also be participating in stage programmes in Switzerland and Germany as a host-cum-singer.

Who is your favourite singer and music director?

I like Shankar Mahadevan’s stage performances and love the music of Raveendran, AR Rehman and Ilayaraja.

You are a singer, a host and an actor…what do you like the most?
I like to be a presenter and singer on stage shows. As a playback singer I have sung only two songs and acted in only one film.

Photograph: Nisham A Manaf

Evergreen voice: M Thankamani

M Thankamani, who won accolades for her unique voice as a presenter and drama artiste at All India Radio (Akashvani), India’s national broadcaster, and as a film dubbing artiste, talks to KK Moidu during her first visit to Dubai

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award winner M Thankamani’s voice is familiar to listeners of the radio for more than three decades now. She is the presenter at Akashvani and those who have heard her voice once cannot forget the attractive and enticing tone. She has secured a place in the hearts of millions of listeners through the roles of numerous characters on radio dramas like Sooryakanthiye Snehicha Penkutty, Moodhevi, Theyyam, Indulekha etc. Her special talent for the vocalisation of people of all ages like old women, young ladies, college students or little girls, endeared her to audiences.
M Thankamani was born in Shoranur in Palghat district, Kerala, in a Namboothiri family. She is the third daughter of the great social reformer Mullamangalath Raman Bhattathirippadu aka MRB and Umadevi Antharjanam. Her father MRB was a playwright, poet and author of many books and made history by marrying a widow in the Namboothiri community.

M Thankamani completed her matriculation from the famous Victoria Government Girl’s High School in Thrissur. “I wanted to be a Hindi teacher and passed Hindi Praveen (equal to BA), but my introduction to All India Radio as a child artiste became a turning point in my career,” she recalled about her childhood ambitions and ultimate entry into the world of sound.
She said: “I debuted into the world of sound in 1964 at the Kozhikode station and after passing the audition, I was selected as a casual announcer in 1967 at Thrissur station. I had to take over occasionally when any one of the three staff members Padmarajan, S Venu or Radhalakshmi were absent.”

  Thankamani got the opportunity to sharpen her skills from Padmarajan and other regular visitors to the stations like veteran theatre personalities PJ Antony, Balan K Nair, MS Namboothiri etc.

She was promoted as a permanent announcer on Dec. 23, 1973, when Thrissur station started airing independent programmes of the kacheris (concerts) of Chempai Swamy. She also worked right from the inception to retirement last year as a senior announcer at the Thrissur station.
She performed the role of Mariam in Vishachumpanam, the first production from Thrissur station on Christmas day in 1973 and later performed in many other plays. Thankamani, who lent her voice for numerous elder characters at young age and vice versa could not recall the number of roles she portrayed so far. She said: “I had lent my voice for a 10-year-old mentally retarded girl in radio play Prahelika, which was a strain. It was a challenge and most memorable. I was 22 years old at that time and it was one of the best roles of my four-decades long career. The listeners also remembered the character for a long time.”

She had the luck to be a permanent presenter for 17 years of Chempai Sangeetholsavam. Thankamani said that “women were not allowed to participate in concerts like Chempai Sangeetholsavam during that time and I was assigned for that duty continuously for 17 years upto my retirement last year.”
Thankamani’s unmatched vocal virtuosity earned her opportunities as a dubbing artiste in films. She made her debut as a dubbing artiste by lending her voice to Supriya in Theerthayathra directed by Vincent. Thankamani says that “dubbing artiste's were rarely recognised by the audience at that time. Few people like Anandavally, KPAC Lalitha etc. were in the profession. I couldn’t accept many dubbing offers for films because of the difficulties in going to Madras.”
However, she dubbed for Suhasini in Shaji N Karun’s Vanaprastham, for Mini Nair in Niyogam and Desadanam, for Archana in Piravi, for Aswathi in Swam, for Nirmala in Oru Cheru Punchiri and for Sharada in Kamal’s Rappakal.
Thankamani also lent her voice for Sridevi in Thulavarsham based on C Radhakrishnan’s story and directed by N Sukumaran Nair. Thankamani was the choice for novelist C Radhakrishnan for the audio cassette record of his award-winning novel Nizhalpaadukal.
Another highlight of Thankamani’s career was rendering the voice for Kasthurba played by Rohini Hattangadi in Richard Attenborough’s Malayalam version of Gandhi. “Dubbing for Kasthurba was the most difficult and challenging in my career,” says Thankamani.” She has dubbed her voice for an out of the state actress in the forthcoming Mammootty starrer Kuttyshranku directed by Shaji N Karun.
Although she has worked as a presenter, actress and dubbing artiste, her favourite medium is radio plays. She said: “The development of technology has made the presenter’s job easy and during that time it was very difficult, especially for live phone-in programmes.”
Thankamani, who likes ice cream as much as a baby does, avoids cold drinks and food for keeping the purity of voice. She said that “allergic foods are also harmful for the voice and I was not using tamarind because of allergy.”
“Dubbing for various ages is a stressful job but possible through voice control. I always try to present the programmes in simple language for understanding the audience and gained their acceptance.”

Her singular warmth of voice has fetched the State award for best film dubbing artiste in 2001 for lending her voice to Suhasini in Theerthdanam. She also won National level Akashvani award in 89, 92 and 94 for Mounam Meettunna Thampuru, Sooryayanam and Karmanye Vaadhikarasya respectively.
In 2001, she won the Doordarshan’s best Telefilm presenter award for a Telefilm based on the life of Gandhian and freedom fighter late Padmashri Kumaran Nair.

Photograph: Nisham A Manaf

Return to Grace?: Sharbani Mukherjee

Sharbani Mukherjee returns to the Malayalam film industry with Soofi Paranja Katha directed by Priyanandan, after a hiatus of eight years, writes KK Moidu

Despite being born into the family of well-known film-personalities Sharbani Mukherjee failed to make an impact in Bollywood unlike her cousins Rani Mukherjee and Kajol.
Sharbani is trying her luck in South Indian films once again. She made her debut a couple of years ago in Malayalam film Raakkilippaattu, directed by veteran Priyadarsan.
Raakkilippaattu had also featured two other leading ladies Jyothika and Tabu in important roles. The film was dubbed into other South Indian languages including Tamil as Snegithiye. The film bombed at the box-office but some how managed to get some attention because of the women-centric subject and all female cast.

The suspense-thriller revolved around a women’s college and its hostel life. The film had colourful song like Devathai Vamsam Neeye and Kallori Malare and dance sequences also. But all these factors couldn’t save the film from a box-office flop.
Like many others, Sharbani was hoping to return to Bollywood through south Indian films but the failure of her debut venture stopped her for journey to Bollywood.
Sharbani Mukherjee, of Bengali-Marathi descent, made her film debut long back in a blockbuster movie Border. J P Dutta’s Border was released in 1992. The film was based on Indo-Pak war of 1971. She shared screen space with Sunil Shetty as his wife.
Her debut venture was a critically and commercially hit. But the success of the film didn’t make any impact on her career and she remains a lesser-known face in the industry, even after a decade.

The actress with her trademark light brown eyes that runs in the Mukherjee family failed miserably at the box-office and could not left any impact on the sliver screen.
She has also been unfortunate in a sense that she was never paired opposite big stars and not had the luck to work with the big banners and reputed directors. Though she has acted in a dozen films in ten years of her career. But none of them helped her to sail her ship.
In the new film, Sharbani is playing the central character Karthi aka Beevi in the female-oriented Malayalam film Soofi Paranja Katha directed by Priyanandan, who won national acclaim for Pulijanmam. Soofi Paranja Katha is based on a famous novel by the same title authored by KP Ramanunni nearly two decades ago. He himself writes the screenplay and has made the necessary changes to suit the demand of today’s audience.
Sharbani’s character Karthi aka Beevi in the film is entirely different from her eatlier films and it is a real luck for her as an actress to get such role. Karthi, who has shown unaccustomed intelligence and precocity from her childhood itself, grows up in Melepullaaratharavadu.
She even puts the ancestral goddess under the shade of the house. The deep respect shown by other family members like her mother, uncle makes her isolated in the house.
But the story turns when a young Muslim from Ponnani, Maamutty enters in the house for buying coconuts and arecanut, brought a change in her life.

Karthi, who for the first time sees a human being looking at her without any fear, elopes with him without knowing where he is taking her. She embraces Islam and Maamutty marries her and lives happily. But Karthi is haunted by her childhood culture and customs. Maamutty builds a temple for her in the surroundings of their house but he got killed by villagers in the violence following this act.
Karthi becomes Beevi in the latter part of the film. Sharbani’s role as Karthi aka Beevi is a singular and unique character played by her, but also a milestone in Malayalam and Indian cinema.
Although talented actress are not short in Malayalam cinema the director must have thought that a well-known face can’t portray the role of Karthi powerfully.
Sharbani had done enough preparations for the role by reading the English version of the novel. According to a report, she said, "She was very attracted to her character."
Newcomer Prakash Bhare and Beyond The Ball fame Thambi Anthony plays important roles as Maamutty and Sanku Menon respectively. Prakash Bhare, a successful IT businessman in California is new to the film world but has proved his mettle as an actor in theatre. Thambi Antony, who plays the challenging role of Sanku Menon is a poet who wants to be valued more for his poems than his showbiz performance.

Mohan Sitara tunes music for the lyrics of Rafeeq Ahmed. KG Jayan is the cinematographer and make-ups are done by Pattanam Shah and Pattanam Rasheed. Gokuldas does the art direction, while costume design is by Kumar Edappal.
Soofi Paranja Katha is a teamwork of sensitive and culturally talented people. The bold attempt of the team is expected to become another classic of the new times. The film is made without any commercial elements like mind-blowing fighting sequences or glamorous dances, which are the staple of new Malayalam cinema. That the film challenges this scenario by telling a female oriented story is another specialty.
Soofi Paranja Katha is the third film directed by Priyanandan after Neythukaaran and Pulijanmam. Neythukaaran won the best actor National Award for Murali and Pulijanmam won the National Award for best feature film. Will the third film of Priyanandan fetch a best actress National Award for Sharbani Mukherjee?

On the road to fame: Akash Kingston

Lies on the Prize, directed by Dubai-based Akash Kingston, won the first prize at the 15th Slamdance Film Festival 2009. He shares his winning experience with KK Moidu

Akash Kingston was chosen by the Real Ideas Studio Student Filmmaking programme in 2009 for Slamdance Film Festival held in January in Park City, Utah, USA. Eight documentaries made by thirty-two students from different backgrounds from all over the world were screened at the festival.
Akash’s team got the story idea for the winning documentary from colleagues. He was the head of one of the eight teams selected through an interview and skills assessment by the board members of the Real Ideas Studio. Twenty-year-old Akash, son of Kingston Gilbert and Usha Kingston, is a graduate in film production from SAE Institute, Dubai.
Born in Calicut, Kerala, India, Akash has been living in Dubai for the last 13 years. Akash was the only one to be selected from the Middle East and the Asian region for this prestigious event. The participants had been given a short period of 10 days to write the script, shoot and edit a five-minute short film. Akash’s film was selected by the jury as the best film from the entries submitted by more than 30 students from around the world.
Excited Akash shares his achievements and thoughts with the Time Out readers.

Excerpts:

Tell us how did your prize winning documentary Lies on the Prize come about?
Lies on the Prize came out purely with a team effort. We had pitched about eight ideas and Lies on the Prize was the most risky one to do because it involved candid camera takes and it was a mockumentary purely based on people’s reaction.

What did you learn from Real Ideas Studio?
I have learnt a lot of technical aspects from the masters who gave us classes on Adobe software, script writing, editing and motion graphics. Real Ideas gave us a lot in terms of technical knowledge as well as network resources.

What was the criterion for participating in the festival? You have to be above 18 and should have a strong portfolio as well as communication skills.

Did anybody help you while preparing for your participation?
My parents were extremely supportive all the way through this, and it really helped me focus on the task at hand.

How did the festival strike you? What are your expectations about your career? I have always known about the Sundance and the Slamdance festival, but this competition as such held by Real Ideas was brought to my attention by my lecturer Markus Rosentreter at SAE Institute. I applied online and went through a series of interviews and portfolio assessments.
I wish to make films that may bring hope, changes and inspiration to my audiences. My films should also entertains.

Did you watch other documentaries at the Slamdance festival? What do you think about your documentary winning the first prize?
I watched a couple of short films and they were all individual pieces of art expressed by different individuals with different perspectives, and it was a pleasure to see how art has progressed over the years. I watched other short films too from the competition and felt all of them were really good.
Our movie won the prize because it was unique, creative and totally different from the rest and that must have caught the jury’s attention.

Why did you choose a career of filmmaking?
I always love art expressed in different media and different forms. From a very young age I have been exposed to films and art. My father was a theatre person and we used to do plays together and I think all of that played a role in making me fall in love with films over the years. Moreover, it is my passion.

Do you have plan to enter the film industry? If so, what kind of films will you be making?
I would love to make films that would inspire changes in the world. I love all genres of films so I would definitely try my hands on all.
I love music being a major part of a film and hence most of my styles would relate to that. I love photography and long shots excite me. There are many things I would like to incorporate into films and every film should reveal something new.

When will you be making a feature film and in which language?
I am not sure when will I make my first feature film, but it will be pretty soon. The language will most probably be English.

How does your experience as a student help your career in the film industry?
Well, my experience as a student at SAE was really a great help, it provided me with hands on experience and more practical usage of my theory and it really helped me learn faster and in a better way. Markus, my teacher was also a source of inspiration for me.

Who are your favourite director(s) and actor(s)?
My favourite directors are Ridley Scott, Darren Aronofsky, Steven Spielberg, Rob Zombie, Mani Ratnam, Ed Zwick and Farhan Akhtar. For actors I don’t have any personal favorites but I am a fan of all great performers.

Can you tell us something about your previous works?
I have worked on a couple of short films and documentaries, but my most recent one was an 11-minute short film Entropy. It was about a retired soldier and whose his alter ego developed through the trauma he faced when he was at war.

How do you like cinema to be?
I love cinema for the way it’s now and it is all perfect. But it would be greater if it was more artistic and less commercial.

Venturing into new arenas: Geethu Mohandas

Award-winning actress Geethu Mohandas makes her debut as a director with a short film, Kelkunnundo, writes KK Moidu

Critically acclaimed actress Geethu Mohandas, who proved her mettle as a actress by playing meaningful roles in films like Oridam, Akale, Rappakal, Thakarchenda, Naalu Pennungal etc. sits in the director’s chair for a 30 minute short film. Her maiden directorial venture with a group of newcomers will be a take on urbanisation and development. The film shooting will start in Aluva this month. According to reports, Geethu’s fiancée and popular cameraman Rajeev Ravi is the cinematographer. The film will utilise the latest technologies and live sound recording. The makers are planning to do the post production at Mumbai. After the short film Kelkkunnundo, her next will be in Hindi canned in North India.
Geethu has played heroine and second heroine roles in more than 20 films. Her well-known role as a committed film maker in acclaimed director TK Rajeev Kumar’s laudable venture Sesham released in 2002 is an added advantage for her new project.

Child artiste turned heroine, Gayathri, popularly known as Geethu completed her primary education in famous Chinmaya Vidyalaya and later moved to Canada with her family. A good painter, she won many prizes in her school days and studied acting at Toronto University.
Geethu Mohandas started her film career as a child artiste two decades before in Onnu Mudhal Poojyam Vare directed by Reghunath Paleri. The wide eyed little girl not only won the hearts of audience in her debut film but also fetched the Kerala State Award for Best Child Artiste. Mohanlal played the lead role in the film, which has also won the State Awards for best cinematography (Shaji N Karun), best debut director (Reghunath Paleri) and TR Sekhar (best editing).
Baby Geethu played a fatherless child’s role in the film and later find out a father in an anonymous telephone caller. Her marvellous performance in the film earned her a couple of roles as a child artiste in films like Veendum, Rareeram etc.
Baby Geethu also made her Tamil debut as a child artiste in En Bommakutty Ammavukku directed by Fazil. The film was a remake of Malayalam superhit Ente Maamattikuttiyammaku and she played the role of Baby Shalini in the original. En Bommakutty Ammavukku repeated the success of the original and it was a top grosser at the Tamil box office.

Ace director Fazil relaunched her as a matured artiste after one-and-a-half decade  in Mohanlal starrer Life is Beautiful during her vacation in Kerala. Although the film didn’t perform well at the box office like other Fazil films, her role as an innocent helpless girl Sangeetha as one of the heroine in Thenkasippattanam was a turning point in her career. Director duo Rafi-Mecartin’s comedy entertainer Thenkasippattanam was one of the biggest hits of the year.
The beautiful actress with an impressive smile and expressive eyes have all the features of a commercial heroine but the talented and ambitious Geethu never appeared as just another beautiful female lead. She always avoided glamour roles in commercial entertainers and preferred meaty roles without an image fear which other young female artistes dare to accept.
Her challenging and out-of-ordinary roles in offbeat ventures like Thakarachenda, Valkannadi, Kannaki etc. are only few examples. Her performance as a slum woman Latha, a mother of two, who survived by working as a house maid in Thakarachenda was natural. The sentimental performance as a leading lady of Kalabhavan Mani in Valkannadi as Devu and her role in Kannaki as Kumudam, who admires the hero Manickan were noticed by the superior performance of the actress. She also shined in an impressive writer’s role as Malavika Varma in Mammootty starrer Rappakal.

 

Thakarachenda

 Sreenivasan and Geethu Mohandas in Thakarachenda

In her long spanning career of nearly two decades, Geethu Mohandas had the luck to act in the films of veteran directors like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shyamaprasad, TK Rajeev Kumar, Jayaraj, Kamal etc. and also paired opposite heroes like Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Mukesh, Prithviraj, Jayaram, Biju Menon, Kalabhavan Mani etc.
Geethu shared the Kerala State Film Award for best actress for her performance in Shyamaprasad’s Akale and Pradeep Nair’s Oridam along with Kavya Madhavan for the film Perumazhakkalam. Geethu played a mentally retarded but an affectionate girl Rose, with depth and range, in the award winning film Akale.

Like other Malayalam heroines Geethu also tried her luck in Tamil industry as a heroine in Nala Damayanthi opposite Madhavan. She also played a second heroine as the heroine Vimala Raman’s sister Ramya in Poi directed by K. Balachander.
Although Geethu has acted in more than half-a-dozen films in 2002, she was rarely seen on screens in the last couple of years. Most film-makers are not interested in making female oriented films, so heroines are limited to a few glamorous appearances and a couple of song sequences in commercial potboilers.
Leading heroines are doing four or five films in a year, but Geethu has only one film Akashagopuram to her credit. Although she acted only in a few films in recent years, they were crafted by famous directors like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, KP Kumaran etc.