Kerala state film award: Unexpected honour for Lena

For Lena, winning the Kerala state film award for best supporting actress came as a total surprise, Deepa Gauri writes

There is a touch of sweet coincidence in actress Lena’s Kerala state award honour for best supporting actress for her role in Left Right Left. She was on location at director Lal Jose’s new venture, Vikramadityan, written by Dubai-based scenarist Dr. Iqbal Kuttippuram. Before she realised it, Lal Jose got hold of a megaphone and announced the win on the sets. “It was an unforgettable moment having the entire team joining in with claps and cheers,” recalls Lena.

The moment was sweeter still because Lal Jose is credited with introducing Lena to Malayalam cinema with a pivotal role in his memorable yet under-rated movie Randaam Bhaavam. And Vikramadityan is only her second project with the director in over a decade.

Lena won the award for her gritty portrayal of a socially and politically committed activist Anitha Roy in Left Right Left. “It was one of the strongest characters I have played,” says Lena. “Anitha is very realistic and even in very normal situations, she had to be intense. That was tough because, as an actor, it is rather easy to be intense in dramatic scenes but not all through.”

Lena says that one of the factors that helped her in doing the role was the nuanced scripting by Murali Gopy, the film’s writer and co-actor. “He gave me a bound script of all my scenes with detailed descriptions of how each scene had to be played out.” She says there was also the comfort factor of working with Murali and director Arun Kumar Aravind, who had cast her in a very bubbly role in their earlier venture Ee Adutha Kaalathu.

“That film set my career booming. They blindly trusted me with this very bright and flamboyant role as a journalist, when all I was doing earlier were some real sad roles.”

And what she particularly relishes about the award is that a lot of people called her up to say it was ‘well-deserved.’ “I think that was a great compliment,” says Lena. Standing apart from the crowd, Lena has carved a definite niche for herself in the industry. She is today one of the most sought-after actors when it comes to strong feminine roles that demand a certain gravitas.

“I think there is far more acceptance today for heroine-oriented roles,” says Lena. “There is increasingly greater space for women characters now to perform and even stand up to the heroes.” Lena says she doesn’t have to be choosy about roles now because “most of the scripts I hear have compelling characters that I love to play.”In Vikramadityan, she is further pushing the envelope, playing Dulquer Salman’s mother. “But it is not a run-of-the-mill mother character. I age from 25 to 55 years in the movie, making it a truly challenging role.” She is equally excited about her next project, Amal Neerad’s Iyyobinte Pusthakam. “I can’t reveal any details now but it is one of the most interesting characters I have played so far,” says Lena, her enthusiasm spilling over in her voice. She is also doing a Tamil film directed by KV Anand.

Having won a state award for her television series Aranazhikaneram earlier, Lena is relishing her first state award for her work in cinema. She had taken up guitar lessons for one scene in the movie to get the act right. “I haven’t pursued guitar since, first of all because it is extremely difficult, and two, the motivation is simply not there. When I was learning it, I was doing it for a role.” Such dedication, indeed, merits recognition.

Silence is golden

Now playing at theatres in the UAE, the Tamil film Vaai Moodi Pesavum puts forth an interesting premise. Directed by the talented Balaji Mohan, whose debut feature Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi was a loveable film, the new movie stars Dulquer Salman and Nazriya Nazim (pictured). It is also being released shortly in Malayalam under a chunky and unimaginative title, Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram.

Dulquer Salman’s debut in Tamil sees the young hero play a salesman who just can’t talk enough. Nazriya Nazim, who plays his romantic interest, however cherishes the value of silence. From the couple’s perspective, the movie shifts gears to present some political undercurrents, all to define how silence can perhaps make a difference. The film was in the news for the wrong reasons when its producers lodged an official complaint against Kolaveri composer Anirudh for “irresponsible conduct” and not fulfilling his commitment to compose its music. He was eventually replaced by Sean Roldan.

Also starring Madhoo, Pandiarajan and John Vijay, among others, the film’s success will bring a good breather for Dulquer. His earlier film with Nazriya, Salala Mobiles in Malayalam came in for strong criticism and wasn’t well-received by fans. If you are in the mood for a breezy romance in a film with characters drawn from around you, Vaai Moodi Pesavum might serve as the right choice.

Prithviraj scores

Prithviraj can put the poor show of his previous film London Dreams behind him. His festival release 7^th Day has fetched the highest initials to date for any Prithviraj film, according to reports.

The film has also scored it big among all other releases this month, helped in no mean measure by the disastrous show of Aashiq Abu’s Mammootty-starrer Gangster. While Dileep’s Ring Master continues to attract audiences, 7^th Day has come across as a coming-of-age thriller. The taut direction of the movie and Prithviraj’s performance have earned high praise from critics.

Prithviraj is tasting success in police officer roles for the third film in a row after Mumbai Police and Memories. In between, he had played a tough cop in the Hindi film Aurangzeb too.